


It all started in November

by WinterfellStark



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, F/M, Family Fluff, M/M, NaNoWriMo, Online Dating, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Texting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-12-01
Packaged: 2018-02-23 21:45:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 54,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2556860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterfellStark/pseuds/WinterfellStark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's NaNoWrimo time. Sansa and Margaery through the course of thirty days and thirty chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day 1

She gives up. Margaery Tyrell has decided to give up. And it’s not an easy thing to do, because she’s not known for that (at least, that’s what she wants to believe). Her brother is too annoying, too persistent. And that day, in that moment, she has had enough. She can’t take it anymore, so whatever it takes to make Loras shut up, she’s going to do it. She will, or gods help her, she’ll end up murdering him… and she doesn’t want to go to jail. 

“And you can use mom and dad’s wifi to download it, you don’t even have to use your precious data.” Loras says. “Because if I know you, you’re going to look for excuses everywhere.” 

“Oh, enough! I’ll do it.” Margaery rubs her temples, he’s going to give her a headache. 

He claps his hands. “You won’t be disappointed.” 

“We’ll see about that.” She says, annoyed. 

“It’s the hottest thing ever.” 

Hottest is definitely not an adjective that Margaery would use when talking about an app for her phone, but whatever he wants to say… she’s not going to argue anymore. The facts are these: There is this new dating app that, according to her brother, it’s the best thing since sliced bread. It’s not like he has trouble dating without the help of an app, but he says it just makes things easier and he likes to try new things. Basically, he explains, you go through pictures of people swiping right or left depending if you like them or not. 

“That’s kind of shallow.” She squints at him.

“Not _that_ shallow. You can see your mutual likes and stuff.” 

“Really.” 

“Come on, Margs, don’t be such a drag. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet the futre Mrs. Tyrell through this app, and I’ll have a blast when I give a speech at your wedding.” He smiles his stupidly charming smile. “I’ll say something like _if it weren’t for me, we wouldn’t be here celebrating… you’re welcome_.” 

“Humble as ever.” 

“I know, right? But come on. I’m waiting. I won’t stop until I see you download it and use it at least once.” 

She groans. Can he be more annoying? (Better not to try to test that theory!) In the end, Loras compromises. He oversees how Margaery installs and creates a profile but lets her start using it in the privacy of her apartment. He’s that nice. 

 

When she’s home and she’s finished getting her things ready for the next day, she takes her phone and opens the app. The picture of a girl that looks like a porno model appears and she checks for mutual likes, despite how not attractive Margaery thinks she is. If they have things in common, she’ll give her a chance. She feels bad, but she’s relieved when they have nothing in common. She takes time going through the profiles (at least the ones that have some kind of information), and although Margaery understands the appeal of just swiping left or right depending solely on the looks, she doesn’t see how that’s different from just going to a bar and trying to get laid with the hottest person you see. 

Suddenly, and most unexpectedly, she stumbles upon a picture that makes her stare for a bit longer than to previous ones. 

_Sansa, 28_

Margaery hums to herself. She can’t really see the face of the girl, the picture shows her lying on a railing, looking at what seems to be the sea or a lake. Her auburn hair contrasts well with the blue water and Margaery, for some reason, wants to know more about this girl. In the past ten minutes she has seen so many cleavages and sexy poses that it’s quite refreshing to see someone who has more of an… artistic inclination, maybe. Or maybe she’s just a private person. 

She clicks on her profile and all of a sudden she’s reading about the few things that they have in common, and now she knows that just like her, this Sansa girl likes dornish food, Star Wars, and Highgarden (that makes Margaery smile). She doesn’t say much about her in the description. 

“Just a Winterfell girl living in King’s Landing. PS: I like lemon cakes.” 

Brevity is the soul of wit, alright. Margaery doesn’t give it a second thought and she swipes right to let the app know that she likes this girl, that she’s interested in knowing more about her. And just like that, the profile is gone. A sense of sadness invades her, because if that _Sansa, 28_ girl doesn’t like her back, she won’t ever see the profile again. It’s such a weird feeling, after all she doesn’t really know a lot about the girl. 

It’s only fifteen minutes later, and once she has stopped going through profiles to focus on something much more productive (also known as making tea), when her phone chimes. The app is letting her know that she has a match and even though she’s told the app that she likes a few other girls, she can’t help but hope that it’s the one from Winterfell who likes lemon cakes well enough to write about them in her description. 

She grins when she sees the picture of the girl. It’s her! It must be Margaery’s lucky day. Okay, now… how do you start talking to someone you don’t know? Let’s start with the basics. 

_Sansa, you have a pretty name…_

Margaery sends the text without giving it a second thought. She believes in being determined, and what’s the point in second guessing herself? She hopes that there will an answer, specially after they’ve both swiped right, haven’t they? But she’s not expecting it right away, she’s pleasantly surprised when the phone chimes. 

_Thank you, stranger. Yours is pretty too. I had never seen it spelled like that…_

Margaery smiles, pleased with the way she writes. She had been worried she’d be one of those girls that shortened words and said stuff like “how r u?”, grammar is important. 

_Tell me about it. Thanks to my mother I’ve had to correct many of my teachers when they were trying to correct my own name!_

Nice. At least now she knows that if she replies, it won’t be just because she expects to get laid. They’re talking about names, for gods’ sake. How did that happen? 

_That’s funny!_

Margaery’s grin grows wider. The girl named Sansa (if that’s her real name, says her least trusting part of her brain, she might not even be a girl either!)

_So, Sansa. How are you today?_

_I was going to attempt to relax after a long day at work…_

_Why only attempt?_

_My dog has a mind of her own and I think she wants to go out… I mean, I know she does. She’s not really subtle about it._

_Aw! That’s unfortunate, then… but dogs are nice. I like dogs._

She didn’t ask yet here she is, trying to make the girl like her. No, she corrects herself, just trying to find common ground. Margaery sighs.

_They can be a handful, though… !_

Margaery has never had a dog. Her family’s always been a cat one, so what can she say about it? 

_I bet!_

_So, Margaery… what brings you to this app?_

_It’s a lame story, I’m not sure I should tell you!_

_But I like lame stories :(_

Okay, she’s smiling again. Why is she smiling? This is just a stupid app, nothing won’t come out of it. Except maybe a random hook up, which won’t be too bad, but… she shouldn’t smile like that. 

_Since you asked… My brother insisted. And insisted. And insisted._

_Brothers! Now_ those _are the handful ones. How many have you got and… why was he insisting? (Double question for you!)_

_Three older brothers… I’m almost 30 and I’m still me the “little girl” of the family. And he just thinks that I should be trying to meet new people._

_I bet you won’t get rid of that name, no matter how old you are. Meeting new people can be nice :)_

_I think you’re right, Sansa. For both things._

_Okay, so… I have to go now, Lady demands my attention (that’s my dog)_

_Have fun! Hope you can relax when you come back!_

_Thank you. It was nice to talk to you._

_Definitely. Maybe we can do it again some other time._

_Sure thing! See you ;)_

Margaery re-reads their short exchange. Sansa’s final text… Did she mean that she wasn’t opposed to meeting her at some point? Was it just a polite “see you”? Was she reading too much into a kind-of-goodbye? Yes, definitely yes. 

 

Loras calls later that evening, she expected his call because he can’t not know things, that’s how he is. He’s like Gretchen Wieners, his hair is so big because it’s full of secrets. 

“How did it go?” He asks. 

“Hello to you too, my dear brother.” 

“Ugh! Hello, my oh-so-favorite sister.” He sounds annoyed and that pleases her. “How did it go?” 

“How did what go?” She knows. She knows him well so she _knows_ what he’s asking about. But ah, it’s so much fun doing it like that. 

“Come on, Margaery. I know you’re not stupid.” She can feel he’s smiling. “The app. Any upcoming dates?” 

“Not really, no.” 

“But did you use it, at least? Because you said you would!” 

She doesn’t answer for a couple of seconds, he’s so impatient that the pause will most certainly bother him. “I might have been talking to someone.” 

“Praise the old, new and future gods! Tell me more. Now.” 

“There’s not much to say, yet. We talked for ten minutes.” Margaery shrugs, even though he can’t see her. 

“Are you going to meet her?” 

“We haven’t discussed it.” 

“What did you talk about then?” 

“Dogs. Brothers. Stuff.” 

“Wow. Stop with the sexy talk… you’re making me feel uncomfortable!” 

“You’re such an idiot, Loras.” Margaery laughs.

“What’s her name?” 

“Sansa.” 

“Age?” 

He keeps interrogating her until he’s more or less pleased with the information (which is, basically, when Margaery has spilled everything she knows about the girl). Then Loras tells her that her homework for the next days is to find out more stuff about this girl and, the most important one, get a proper picture of her. She needs to see her face. That’s Margaery’s cue to change the subject to a less torturing one. It’s easy to do, she just needs to mention Renly, the elusive man that has Loras falling head over heels, then for the next ten minutes she just listens to him talking about the last cryptic messages he sent, how gorgeous he looks in the picture he sent him, what she thinks about those… and that’s when she makes up an excuse to hang up. She loves her brother, but wow… 

 

She’s about to get ready for bed when she decides that she’s going to talk to Sansa again. Margaery’s not sure what’s the proper etiquette for these kind of apps, but she wants to let the girl know that she’s been thinking about her because.. Well, she has been thinking about her. 

_So Sansa, you like lemon cakes. I want to know more about that!_

She leaves the phone on her bedside table and goes to brush her teeth and wash her face. In those five minutes she keeps wanting to go back to her room to check if Sansa has replied, but she manages to wait, just barely. Then she rushes to her room and grins when she sees the new message. 

_Oh Margaery. Don’t make me talk about those. You don’t want to hear all the things I have to say about those._

_I don’t?_

_You do? Remember that you brought it on yourself… What’s not to love about lemon cakes?_

Tricky question, Margaery thinks. Specially when one hasn’t actually tried said dessert. She can’t wait to read Sansa’s reaction. 

_I wouldn’t know. I’ve never had them._

_WHAT?! How can you be almost 30 and not having tried lemon cakes ever!?!!!!?_

_I… don’t know?_

_And I don’t know if we can keep talking until you’ve eaten one. This is a deal breaker._

She likes it. Maybe it’s the fact that they’re chatting online, but she likes how easy it is to talk to the girl. 

_As a lemon cake expert… you should tell me where to go to have my first one ever._

_You’re right, I should (oh the pressure) You can’t buy them mass produced, that’d be a huge mistake. You need to go to a good bakery. It’s a one in a lifetime opportunity!_

_You know, maybe instead of telling me where to go… you should take me there._

She doesn’t know what possessed her to say that, maybe the fact that she feels stupid for feeling excited when talking to a girl she barely knows; maybe she just wants to know if she should keep feeling excited or if she should stop. 

But no matter what her reasons are Sansa doesn’t reply. That makes Margaery antsy, the irrational part of her brain is yelling at her for having sent that text, because it was too early, they just started talking! But then her phone chimes, it’s probably becoming her new favorite sound. 

_Sorry, Lady tried to steal my dinner (she’s a clever girl). Anyway… are you asking me on a date, Margaery?_

_If you’re going to say yes, then I definitely am, Sansa._

_Okay. Then tell me when, I’ll tell you where._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetaed like woah. I thought that posting this would make me want to finish NaNo this year too. My plan is to post a chapter a day... *fingers crossed* 
> 
> I'll be open for suggestions :)
> 
> PS: Let me know if the texting parts are confusing.


	2. Day 2

Margaery’s not a shy person, yet she can’t bring herself to do something as simple as asking Sansa for a picture is. It’s only curiosity, she won’t change her mind about meeting her, not even if she’s not her type in the end… but she’s afraid that Sansa will think she’s asking for shallow reasons. It’s just not fair! She has a picture on her profile, Sansa knows what her face looks like… she can picture her talking when they text. Yet Margaery can only picture the back of her head and that pretty auburn hair cascading down. Not quite enough, in Margaery’s opinion. Not even close. 

Maybe that’s the reason she woke up thinking about Sansa. Surely there can’t be another one. That’d be too crazy… wouldn’t it? 

 

She starts reading the politics section of the newspaper while making breakfast, her usual morning routine, when her phone chimes. It’s in her room but she hears, it's like she’s that dog from the Up movie, she gets all “SQUIRREL!” and runs to her bedroom. 

She knows that she’s way too excited for her own good. She also knows she doesn’t care. It’s been ages since she’s met someone interesting, so she’s just going to enjoy it while it lasts. 

As she was hoping, it’s a message from Sansa. 

_Do you like mondays, Margaery?_

Margaery types, fast. 

_No. But it’s okay, because mondays don’t like me either._

She sends the text wondering a little too late if she should have waited, if maybe Sansa is going to think that she’s around her phone too much. 

_LOL! You’re funny. I like it :)_

She likes it. She _likes_ it. There are so many things she wants to say, to ask… but she has put a filter on her words, she doesn’t want to sound overly excited. That’d be bad, wouldn’t it? But at the same time… she wants Sansa to know that she wants to keep talking to her, so she can’t play it cool and distant (that’d be the most stupid thing ever, she thinks, has it ever worked?). 

_Why thank you, Sansa! What plans do you have for the day?_

_Just work… nothing too exciting._

_I know the feeling. Where do you work, by the way?_

_In a library, downtown. What about you?_

Ah, the question. She had been expecting it, and she had decided that she wouldn’t mention that she actually works for Olenna Tyrell, who happens to be her grandmother… the person who might (or might not) become the new Mayor of King’s Landing. 

Margaery was was the best in her class, she could have worked with almost any politician she wanted to work with… yet she chose her grandmother’s internship because she believed in her ideas (she knew the woman, after all!), then she accepted the job offer because it would put her right where she wanted to be. Sometimes, though, she wished she could go back in time to change what she chose. She knows that some people think she’s only there because of her surname, because she’s family, and not because she really deserves it. That pisses her off more than she’d admit out loud. So that’s why she had decided not to mention that tiny little detail.

_Political campaign staff. I work in the office of new media._

_Which means… ?_

_Twitter. Facebook. Internet stuff, you know?_

_Ah! Sounds less boring that I had anticipated!_

_… Said the librarian._

_Ohhh… burn!_

They keep bantering while Margaery has breakfast,a breakfast that takes her twice as long as it usually does… good thing that she always gets up with lots of spare time! Then, despite not really wanting to stop talking to Sansa, she has to say goodbye. 

 

While she drives to work, she calls her brother. 

“Loras, you bastard.” 

“Woah there! Good morning and that stuff” 

“Why did you make me download the stupid app?” She whines. 

She hears him laugh and she wishes he was near so she could smack him. He deserves it, for being such a jerk. A lovable one, but ugh! 

“Okay, what’s going on? What has she done? What have _you_ done?!” 

“Nothing! She’s just… damn it, Loras, she’s just so funny and charming and I want to talk to her all the time and that’s not normal!” 

“So you’re freaking out because it’s online and you’re feeling things.” 

“Maybe.” 

“Just keep talking to her like you’d talk to a girl you met somewhere else, Marg. Isn’t that what you’ve been doing so far?” 

“Yes, but what if I ask something in a good way and she interprets it differently because she’s not seeing my face?” 

“Ah! So it’s about the picture.” 

Of course it’s about the picture, she thinks. But at the same time, it’s not. Not really, not at all. It’s about how she’s not used to meet people online, instead of face to face. It’s about the weirdness of it all. What if there’s something about Sansa rubs her the wrong way? She won’t know until she meets her, and she doesn’t want to be negative, but there’s a chance that it’ll happen. And the opposite also applies, what if she’s missing out? 

“I just want to see her!” She complains. “And maybe she thinks I just want to know if she’s hot or not.” 

“So what, Sansa? It’s normal that you want to see what she looks like, don’t you think? And she’d be too naïve if she thought that this wouldn’t happen on an online dating app. Just ask. She won’t be offended by it…”

Margaery frowns. “You don’t know that.” 

He’s quiet for a couple of seconds. “You’re too whiny and it’s too early.” 

“But it’s all your fault!” 

He laughs some more and she groans. Brothers. If only they were useful! 

 

Her day at the office starts like every Monday. Since she’s in charge of the new media part of the campaign, she starts with her daily research of what the other parties and candidates have been doing online. Tweets, Facebook posts… and whatever publishing they’ve been doing around the net during the weekend. Her work can go from very funny to downright offensive (the nerve some people have!) and she enjoys it most of the time. But that day, she’s way too preoccupied about the whole Sansa-thing to focus as she usually does. 

She checks her phone during a coffee break and smiles when she sees that the girl that keeps her distracted had sent her a message an hour ago. 

_Do you know where the Library of the Children of the Forest is?_

This piece of information catches Margaery’s attention. Maybe that’s where Sansa works, and if that’s the case… it’s one step closer to seeing her. Lords know she can’t wait to meet the girl. Stupid app. Stupid brother. 

She texts back.

_Who doesn’t?_

_Believe it or not, a lot of people are unaware of the existence of such a beautiful place!_

_… Is that were you work?_

_Maybe ;)_

_We still haven’t talked about when I’m going to have that lemon cake meeting…_

_You’re right! A coworker’s on a sick leave and I’m doing parts of his shifts. Next week I’ll be free most evenings… if you’re still up for it._

Next week. Sansa groans. She doesn’t have that much patience. 

_I don’t know. I might not be able to resist the temptation to go buy a mass produced lemon cake as soon as I’m out of work._

_… You wouldn’t!_

_Who knows._

_Margaery! Don’t you dare._

She laughs, immediately disguising it as a cough because the people on the lounge room look at her in a funny way. Apparently her cough doesn’t do the trick because they still look at her, wondering. That’s why she gives them her best “I don’t give a damn about what you think” smile, and they leave her to her business… which consist, mostly, in teasing Sansa. 

_But they must be so yummy… with their GMO ingredients and stuff!_

_Ugh. I’m blocking you._

_You know you’ll miss me._

Who says she can’t boast a little? 

_(I would... but actually, I have to go back to work. I’ll talk to you later… and please resist the urge to eat one of those so-called lemon cakes!)_

 

Loras calls her when she’s in the middle of her lunch, he wants to check on her and Margaery thinks that maybe it’s because he feels kind of guilty, but it turns out that it’s for a completely different thing. Even though he sounded apologetic at first, soon his intentions are revealed. 

“We should double date.” 

“I haven’t met this girl yet, Loras. I might not even get to date her. Ever.” 

“See, there’s your mistake. You do know the girl, you just haven’t seen her. There’s a difference.” 

“Oh excuse me, master of online relationships.” 

“If this bothers you so much, Marg, do something about it. She told you where she works, why don’t you pay her a visit?” 

“Because it’s creepy.” 

“No. It’s romantic.” 

“If that’s what you think it’s romantic, of course Renly has been elusive.” 

“Oh shut up. He loves me.” She can sense that he’s smiling. “You have to meet him, Marg. He’s so dreamy. So closeted too, but gods he’s adorable!” 

She rolls her eyes and laughs. 

“I’m serious! You’re going to love him.” 

“If he’s that closeted, what makes you think that he’ll want to meet me?” 

“Leave that to me, you go figure out if you like this girl, because I miss the good old days when we used to go on double dates.” 

“Do you mean the days where you pretended to date my girlfriends and I did the same with your boyfriends? Those days?” She snorts. “I can’t say I miss them.” 

“Not the nostalgic type, I see.” 

 

_Hey Margaery! Have you had any desserts I should know about?_

She laughs, again, because apparently it’s not difficult for Sansa to make her laugh. And she lov—likes it. She likes it. 

_No, I’ve been able to restrain myself. But wow, has it been hard._

_Good girl :)_

_And how are you this evening? Is Lady letting you relax?_

_Yup! She’s being a good girl too._

_… Are you comparing me with a dog?_

_Never! (Don’t worry, she’s not as good as you are)_

Okay. Is that flirting? Weird flirting? Whatever it is, she wants more of it. 

_I don’t like that you’re doing extra shifts. Am I allowed to say that?_

_You’re allowed to say whatever you want, Margaery…_

_Then yeah. I have very little patience :(_

_Good things come to those who wait. Or so they say. I’m not the patient type myself, either._

_It’s just... very nice talking to you._

_Do you like it more or less than talking to the other girls in the app?_

_Is that a trick question, Sansa?_

Margaery realizes that she’s been using the app wrong. She’s supposed to be meeting other girls, testing the waters. She doesn’t know if they will click, so she shouldn’t have stopped talking to other girls (or actually, she should have _started_ to talk to other girls) just because she got excited when she met Sansa. Yet she couldn’t be bothered to go find other matches. 

_No tricks. Just an honest question…_

_Then you get an honest answer. You’re the only one I’ve been talking to._

_Really? How does a pretty girl like you end up talking just to someone like me?_

“A pretty girl like you”. Oh gods. Sansa is going to be the end of her. Whether it is from the novelty of using the app or not, whatever the reason… it helps her realize that maybe Loras wasn’t that crazy when he suggested that she should visit Sansa at work. But of course, she needs to figure out a way that won’t make Sansa uncomfortable, in case she doesn’t want to meet her like that. If only she could google it. 

_I believe that’s a conversation to be had with a tea and a lemon cake, Sansa._

_You got yourself a deal._

_Good._

_Great!_

And just like that, Margaery starts liking mondays a bit more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the mistakes and the lack of sense of these chapters... NaNo is stressful!


	3. Day 3

_Hey, Margaery. Where are you from?_

_You don’t think I’m a King’s Landing girl?_

_Nope._

_Why???_

_You just don’t sound like one. But I guess there’s always an exception to the rule._

_I’m from Highgarden._

_I knew it._

_Don’t get cocky ;)_

If she gets the reference, Margaery might burst from joy. So a part of her wants Sansa to get it, while another doesn’t because it means more trouble than the ones she already have. 

_Are you quoting Star Wars to me?_

_I was! And I’m happy you got it._

_Star Wars is like a family tradition for me. Even now that we’re all living apart, we get together to watch the original trilogy once a year! <3 _

Good gods. She doesn’t believe in perfection, she believes in perfect imperfections instead, but with Sansa it’s like every thing that she says makes Margaery feel more and more drawn to her. Dangerous stuff, in her opinion. 

_You don’t need to keep saying these things, Sansa… I already found you charming!_

_LOL! :D I think you’re the first girl that I’ve known who’s happy about me being a Star Wars fan._

_Same. I mean, I don’t know if you’re happy about it, but… I don’t know many girls who are into it (a shame, really)_

_Of course I’m happy about it. Nerds united!_

_Always <3 _

 

One of the best parts of her job is that she gets to share an office with a really great (and nerdy) guy called Gendry. They’ve worked together for the past ten months and she knows they make a great team. He’s in charge of the most technical part of the job while she does the “easy stuff” as he jokingly says. 

He’s coding some sort of poll for the website of the campaign (although she has no idea, really, that’s just what he _said_ he was doing) when Margaery throws a crumpled paper ball, made of some discarded polls, at his head. He turns to her, pretending to be annoyed. She gives him a big and fake “I’m sorry” smile before asking what she’s been dying to ask all morning. 

“What do you think about meeting people online?” 

When he realizes that this is going to be a serious conversation and Margaery’s not just trying to annoy him, he stops typing on the keyboard and spins his chair around to face her. 

“Why are you asking? Do you need convincing or something?” 

“I might have met someone.” She shrugs like it’s nothing. But it’s not nothing. For her, it’s a big deal. 

“And you think that I’m such a nerd that I’ll tell you how awesome it is to meet people online?” 

“You see right through me, Gendry.” She grins and he rolls his eyes. 

“Nah, you’re just that predictable.” 

“Hey!” She complains. 

He winks at her. 

“But anyway, are you talking about meeting people or “meeting people”? Because there’s a difference.” 

“I’ve been talking to this girl…” 

He makes an “oooohhhhh” noise and looks at her with that look on his face, the look that says that he’s expecting Margaery to keep developing her story. She complies, because after all it’s not a normal day in the office if they don’t stop for a bit to gossip about some random thing. 

“So Loras made me download this app last weekend, and for some reason I found her interesting from the very first and only picture I saw of her, maybe because it wasn’t a sexy one, you know? And that was weird considering the ones I had been seeing. Anyway, we’ve been talking for a few days and she’s just… I don’t know. She sounds great, and I have so much fun when we talk. We joke, banter and… she just gets me. Or I think she does. But I haven’t seen her, and I just… I know very basic stuff, it’s not like I know her. How can I be interested in someone I haven’t seen?” 

“Well, you do know a few things about her, so don’t worry. As long as you two find each other enjoyable, you’ll get to know more of her with time.” 

“She loves Star Wars, Gendry. And I’m talking about reaaaaaaal love here. I made a reference earlier and she got it! She actually did and it was amazing.” 

He laughs. “Marry her already. Girls like that are hard to find.”

“I know, right? And you would think it couldn’t be that hard because Star Wars is huge… Wrong!” 

He nods in agreement. He’s also single and looking for someone a bit more alternative than the girls there are in the office or that he meets around. But the girls from King’s Landing… well, they tend to be too posh and too snobby for both of their taste. It’s another thing they have in common. 

“Really, Sansa, it’s great that you’re giving yourself another chance…” 

She glares at him. “Come on, not you too!” 

“Say whatever you want, you know it’s true. How long has it been? Three years?” 

“Two.” She mutters. “And you didn’t even know me! You have no right to judge.” 

His concern is kind of amusing to her, specially since, as she told him, he didn’t even know her when she swore off women and love (she could be quite dramatic). Gendry knows the story, though. He’s been out with her and Loras a few times and of course her lack of love life has come up at some point, it’s one of Loras’ favorite topics. Why? She has no idea. It just is, much to her annoyance. 

“I just want you to be happy.” 

“Gods, Gendry.” She pretends to shiver. “Too mushy.” 

He picks up the paper ball from the floor and throws it back at her with as much strength as one can give to a paper ball. She fake-complains when the ball hits her shoulder and without exchanging any more words (only a few laughs) both of them go back to work. 

The truth is that Margaery feels a bit more at ease after their talk. It’s definitely one of Gendry’s best qualities, he makes people relax. She used to have this stupid thought where she wished that she could be into him because he was such a great guy, and they had enough things in common to be compatible. Besides, she could see that he was gorgeous. But then, the moment Margaery thought of the (many) reasons why she loved women in general, she realized that she wouldn’t change her preferences no matter how awesome Gendry was, not even if she could. A couple of months before she had told him about that thought, and Margaery still remembers how he cackled for what seemed to be an eternity. 

Good times. 

 

_I’ve mentioned that I know a girl who loves Star Wars to a coworker and he almost didn’t believe me!_

It’s one of those new things that she’s getting used to. She just wants to let Sansa know that she’s thinking of her, no matter how weird it is. 

Once she does that, she goes back to making dinner. One day a week, Margaery forces herself to cook dinner. Her parents made each of their children a homemade recipe book, and she feels bad because she almost never uses it. It’s just easier to buy food from a store before getting home from work, and less exhausting too. Cooking is hard work, if you try to make something decent. 

When she’s done, she gets a glass of wine to have with her steak and sits on the table, instantly grabbing her phone to check if she’s gotten a reply. She grins before she takes a sip from her glass. 

_Does that mean you’ve talked about me to people?_

Of course, Sansa. Of course you’d focus on that little piece of information, she thinks. Margaery smirks, because it’s a good way to start a meaningful conversation. 

_Weeeeeell…_

_I’ll take that as a yes._

_Does it bother you?_

_LOL; I’d be such an hypocrite if it did. I’ve talked about you too._

And that’s Margaery’s chance to find out if what she’s feeling is kind of mutual, no matter if it’s only in a very small way. 

_Me in particular? Or are you talking about the girls in the app, in general?_

_Subtle, Margaery :P_

_Well, you asked yesterday. TSK!_

_If you must know, I was talking about you in particular._

_:)))_

_Glad that makes you happy._

_It does, it does…_

_It really does. It warms her heart, or something. Gods, someone help her._

_Btw! I’ve decided where I’m taking you to eat lemon cakes. It wasn’t easy._

_No? Tell me about it, I’m all… eyes?_

_(Lol) Well, let’s just say that it involved pie charts, graphs and a pros &cons list. Lemon cakes are serious business. _

_You don’t say…_

_Hey, Margaery (random change of subject) Do anyone calls you anything besides Margaery?_

_Hmmm… My mom calls me “dear” :P but I’m sure that’s not what you were asking._

_LOL. You’re right, I was talking about shortening your name._

_My brother calls me Marg…_

_Okay._

_Why?_

_Curiosity._

_K._

That’s the weirdest conversation she’s had with Sansa so far. She frowns when seconds pass and she gets no reply (but again, why would Sansa reply to a “k”? _God Karen, you’re so stupid_ ). 

She finishes her dinner while constantly checking the app. There are no new messages and she doesn’t feel like texting Sansa again to add something else that would engage in a conversation again. Double texting, Margaery thinks, would be too… revealing. Or something. 

Once she’s done cleaning the living room and the kitchen, too, she checks her phone one last time and locks it angrily when there are no new notifications. Like it’s her phone’s fault that there are no new messages. 

If Sansa doesn’t want to talk to her, so be it. 

She doesn’t want to text her either. 

She doesn’t care. Not really. She was just entertained, that’s all. She couldn’t care less. 

And she’s too proud for her own good. 

In a “know yourself” exercise, Margaery finally accepts the facts. She clearly likes Sansa, it’s so obvious that it even hurts a little bit. Loras can’t know how much she really likes this girl, otherwise it’ll become another story he can tell to people to make her embarrassed and slightly uncomfortable. She’s able to picture her brother laughing about how she started crushing on a girl that she hadn’t even seen yet. Nope, nope. It’s going to be her secret. At least, until they meet. If they do. Because maybe Sansa doesn’t talk to her ever again. Maybe that was the last exchange they had and Margaery blew it with a “k”. Why had she written that?! That was the most stupid text ever. Hadn’t she been happy when she talked to Sansa for the first time, when she realized that she used whole sentences? Ugh. 

No matter how hard she tries to forget about the whole debacle, she can’t. That’s why she eventually decides to go to sleep. Better not to be awake because that means using her brain, and her brain is not cooperating. Her brain is being a total asshole trying to make her feel things that she shouldn’t be feeling. It has formed an alliance with her heart. So not cool. 

 

Margaery doesn’t know for how long she’s been asleep, but she knows that it’s been her phone’s chiming and its vibration what has startled her in the middle of the night. She must have forgotten to turn the sounds off before she went to bed. A dumb thing to do. 

No matter how groggy she is, she still unlocks it and looks at the screen with one eye closed. Maybe it’s the fact that she was just sleeping, but her heart doesn’t do that stupid thing it does when she sees that it’s a message from Sansa. A brief one, sure, but a message nonetheless. 

_Good night, Margs… :)_

She smiles contently and closes her eyes again, letting out a long breath. 

“Good night, Sansa.” She mumbles, even though the other girl can’t hear her. 

Maybe she’ll feel it. 

She wishes she will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, let me tell you, this might not become my best work ever, but it's so much fun! 
> 
> I'll catch up with your comments tomorrow, I hate that I haven't been able to reply yet. Thanks for the feedback, though! You're super nice <3


	4. Day 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and you shall receive! This is a chapter from Sansa's POV. 
> 
> I was planning on doing it later in the story, but I thought it worked better now.

“It’s not normal, right? I mean, look at this picture. This girl doesn’t need a dating app.” 

Sansa holds out her phone and shows Margaery’s picture from her profile to her coworker Jeyne, who’s coincidentally one of her best friends too. It’s the only picture that Sansa has seen of the girl, and that’s more than Margaery can probably say about her. Yes, Sansa is aware of how unfair it is of her, but she thinks now that it’s too late to be all “hey, let me show you a picture of me”, and Margaery’s too polite to ask for one (damn it). 

“She does look—” 

“Gorgeous.” Sansa finishes for her friend. “Extremely gorgeous. And that’s what I don’t get, J. Why is she using it then?” 

“Have you asked her?” 

She shrugs. “Her brother made her download the app. But that’s not the real reason, I mean if her brother made her do it, it means he thought she needed it?” 

“Maybe she’s just shy, like you.” Jeyne offers. 

“No, Margaery doesn’t sound like a shy person.” Sansa says. It’s like she just knows it. Maybe it’s the way she texts, or maybe it’s just Sansa’s projection… but she firmly believes that Margaery’s not shy. 

“Then I don’t know, maybe she wants something more meaningful and she thinks she can find it there?”

Sansa arches an eyebrow, as if Jeyne did not just said that, seriously. 

“Don’t give me that look! You’re using the app and you’re not looking for random hook ups, are you? And you’re super pretty too.” 

“Let’s not make this about me.” Sansa says, dismissing her friend’s point. 

“As long as you’re careful, I don’t see why you should question her motives. They might as well be yours too.” 

Sansa groans. If only she could have all the answers she wants. She hides her head between her hands, and by the time she’s back looking at Jeyne again, she’s come up with a plan. Kind of. 

“Would it be bad and creepy if I google her? I mean, her name is spelled in a weird way and I know she’s works in politics and… it’d be easy, right?” She bites her lip. 

“Oh, Sansa.” She doesn’t know if Jeyne is pitying her or if she’s just amused by her crazy ideas. 

“It’s too stalkerish, you’re right.” She shakes her “I shouldn’t do it. No. It’d be… no.” 

“I’ve stalked my crushes too. I think it’s normal in the kind of world we live in now.” Jeyne doesn’t sound too shocked by her idea. “Just… it’s hard to filter what you know and what you’re supposed to know.” 

There are two possible outcomes for that scenario. Well, there may be more, but basically… she can either forget that she had the idea of googling Margaery or she can just accept that nowadays it’s pretty much accepted that, whenever possible, one will try to use the internet to find information about people and… do it. But this would mean that she’d have to start lying to Margaery if (when) they would meet. 

“Okay. Too complicated. I’ll… I’ll wait. Patience, my young padawan.” 

“Do you want me to google her?” Jeyne offers. 

“No. I mean. The moment you know, I’ll want to know too.” Sansa shakes her head. “Besides, you shouldn’t know more about her than I do!” 

Jeyne tries to suppress a laugh. Apparently Sansa’s jealousy is hilarious. 

“Tell me again why you two haven’t met yet.” 

“Because of my crazy schedule.” Sansa says. The lie comes out easily. 

“Bullshit.” 

“Hey!” Sansa looks around. “You’re in a public library, behave yourself!” 

Jeyne snorts. “You’re such an idiot.” 

“Whatever, J. Go back to work.” 

Jeyne waves goodbye as she leaves towards her section. Sansa watches her go with amusement in her eyes and then, when she’s sure that Jeyne can’t see her, she grabs her phone and opens her messages quickly. 

 

_How do you deal with annoying friends?_

Margaery’s reply arrives a few minutes after she’s sent the text. 

_Lure them deep into a forest. Leave them there. That’ll teach them a lesson._

_Does it work?_

_Yes. But I mean, I haven’t tried myself. A friend told me the story. Obviously. Cough._

_A friend. Cute!_

_Oh shush :P_

 

By the time she’s done for the day and she reaches her apartment, she can hear Lady’s excited sounds when she’s opening the door. Before it’s fully open, Lady’s already thrown herself at Sansa, who laughs delighted. She can think of very few ways of coming back home that would make her as happy as coming back to Lady does. 

“How’s my pretty baby today?” Sansa cuddles and ruffles Lady’s hair while the dog licks her hands and face, making Sansa laugh. “I’ve missed you too Lady, yes! Yes, my big girl!” 

She sits on the floor and pets her for a couple of minutes, then, when she gets up again Lady follows her while Sansa discards her papers from work and goes to change into something more comfortable. She’s not going to walk her dog while wearing a suit and heels, no matter how low they are. 

“You’re so pretty. How come you’re so pretty, Lady? No dog should have the right to be this pretty, you hear me?” 

Sometimes she’s glad there’s no one to hear the silly way in which she talks to her pet because it’s worse (way worse!) than when she talks to babies. And that is really bad. But of course, she wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. 

She finds her phone in her purse and does that familiar thing where she opens the app and starts writing a message for Margaery. 

_So, what’s your favorite part of coming home? Mine is knowing that Lady is waiting for me. She gets so excited!_

_No one waits for me at home :( sadtimes. But… I guess it’d be… hmmm… taking off my shoes. Or getting into my pjs. One of those two, definitely!_

_Ah! great feelings, indeed. Why don’t you have a pet, Marg?_

_Because I don’t have tie time and pets deserve the attention that I can’t give them._

_How noble of you (I mean it, I promise I do)_

_I know right? (I’m joking, I promise! Lol) It’s hard sometimes, resisting to the cute and fluffy pets I see around._

She can’t help but stare at Margaery’s picture. She does it from time to time, and every one of those times, after she’s done, she has to remind herself that she should feel guilty about looking at her because Margaery can’t do the same thing. Unless she’s into the back of people’s heads. In which case, she must be loving Sansa’s profile picture. 

She wants to meet her. Soon. That way she won’t feel guilty for staring into her picture. 

_By the way…. Next Tuesday. Lemon cakes in the afternoon/evening. How does that sound?_

_Awesome, although too far away from today!_

_It’s less than a week away, Marg._

_But that’s a lot of time!!!!_

_Compared to what?!_

_Well, obviously not to the moment when dinosaurs ruled the earth, if that’s what you meant!_

_… I wasn’t, but I’m glad you see it like that! Lol (Don’t let my positive thinking distract you from the fact that I, too, can’t wait to meet you)_

_Is that so, Sansa?_

The question makes Sansa wonder if she means it in a flirty “keep saying these things to me” way or if, instead, Margaery wasn’t really aware of how much Sansa wants to see her. 

She’s just scared. She can sense the other girl’s excitement over their upcoming meeting, yet she can’t help but get anxious about how she’s probably going to disappoint her. What if Margaery is expecting something… different? A better and different version of Sansa? Maybe she sounds really different online than she does in real life and Margaery will be like “thanks but lol, no thanks”. 

She tricks Lady into posing with her and she snaps a few pictures, hoping that at least one of them is appropriate to be sent. She wants Margaery to see her, not just because the picture looks quite cute and adorable (all Lady’s doing, really) but because she wants to make things equal between them. 

She’s about to press the green button, but she taps on “Cancel” before she sends the picture in the last second. She had been so close. Had she pressed the green button, Margaery would have seen her by then and things would be a little bit less complicated. Or well, maybe not less complicated… but less unfair. 

Still, she’s a coward and chooses to write a text message, like always. 

_Yup. I might start jumping around like Lady does when I’m about to get home. That’s how excited I am :P_

_LOL, that’s adorable. I might need a recording or something ._

_Nope. This stays between Lady and me. What happens at my place, stays at my place ;D_

_Then I hope you can invite me someday… so I can ask Lady to tell me the story._

Sansa tries to hide her smile, but fails. Quite miserably, if she might add. It’s so interesting how their conversations can go from super serious to silly to… insinuating. 

_Oh, I’m sure you’ll end up coming here someday… Lady wants to meet you._

_And I want to meet her too! Sounds like we have a lot in common._

_Oh?_

_We both enjoy your company, don’t we? :)_

Sansa blushes. Or at least, she feels like she’s blushing. Is she? Out of curiosity, she runs towards a mirror and checks. Strangely enough… her face looks as pale as it usually does. Lady stares from the other side of the hallway, probably wondering what Sansa’s doing. 

“What do I do? Should I send the pic to Margaery?” She asks Lady. 

The dog stares at her with big and bright eyes, then she lets out a tiny yap. 

“Are you sure? Because… what if she gets tired of waiting for one and finds some other girl?” Lady barks again, this time a little bit louder. “Okay, okay… Let’s go take a long walk, you deserve after the nice advice you’ve given me.” 

Of course, Lady understands. And it’s because of that reason why she becomes a whirlwind, running around the living room until Sansa has grabbed the leash and her coat, because it’s not nearly as cold as it is in Winterfell, but the humidity of the weather drives Sansa crazy. 

She’s about to leave the house when her phone chimes. She frowns, because it’s not Margaery. The notification sound was different, so Sansa knew that it wasn’t coming from the app. 

It’s Jeyne, and Sansa hates how the disappointment invades her. That is, until she reads the content of the text. 

_Sansa. Please please please please don’t be mad at me!! I couldn’t resist and I googled Margaery. Let me tell you… wow! I found stuff, but I don’t think you should google her yourself. There are a few things that… she should tell you first. Talk to you tomorrow. PS. DON’T GOOGLE HER!_

She stares at her phone, her heart has probably skipped a few beats. She feels like all her blood has left her body, only to come back rushing furiously through her again. She feels weak and Lady’s nipping playfully at her trousers. 

“What in the seven hells…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: I'm extra tired today, so I'm not sure my so-called-revision has had any effect. I apologize for the mistakes.


	5. Day 5

Sansa wakes up feeling the same dread she felt the night before, she's waiting for something bad to happen and she hated the feeling. Much to her chagrin, the feeling is still there. 

She went to sleep wondering what on earth Jeyne had found online, and she had to fight the urge to google herself so hard that she couldn’t even focus on V for Vendetta… and it was the fifth of November, for gods’ sake! Damn Jeyne. Who did something like that? What kind of friend was she? Sansa had already told her that googling Margaery was a bad idea and that she wasn’t going to do it, so why did Jeyne feel the need to go behind her back… and most importantly, why did she tell her about it? If only she wouldn’t know! Then things would have stayed the same. 

She’s ruined everything, Sansa thinks. Okay, maybe not ruined-ruined, and maybe not everything, but Jeyne has certainly made things weird with Margaery, even if it’s only in her head. 

_Morning, Sansa! It’s thursday :) the weekend’s almost here! Do you have any plans for the weekend?_

She looks at her phone and winces at it. She feels the urge to text back, yet she doesn’t know what to say. What if Margaery’s like a crazy person or something? What if that’s what Jeyne found last night? 

But if she doesn’t reply, it’ll be weird. So she pretends, because it’s easy over the phone. 

_Can’t wait :) And I still don’t know about my plans. They’re a work in progress._

She could give her more details about how her sister, Arya, was hoping to visit during the weekend for a day at least. She could tell Margaery about the fact that she misses her sister a lot, and not just them but her siblings in general. She could have said many things that she would have said “normally” (she realizes how weird it is to think about normalcy when she has only known Margaery for a few days)… but she didn’t feel like saying neither of those things, because Jeyne and her stupid ideas. 

 

Later, when she’s about to enter the library, she sees Jeyne crossing the street. She points at her and glares. 

“I’m going to kill you.” She says when she’s closer. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” 

By the look on Jeyne’s face, she really feels guilty about it. Whatever, Sansa doesn’t care. She’s pissed. 

“You should be!” Sansa glares at her friend. “What was that about?! Gods, I’m so angry at you right now. That was uncool, Jeyne.” 

“It was your fault!” She makes a whimpering noise and Sansa huffs. “You put the idea in my head and… I couldn’t help myself.” 

Sansa can’t believe she just said that, still… another thought appears in her brain. Should she ask about it? She shouldn’t, at all. But she wants to know. What if what Jeyne has found is bad? Oh gods. 

“So, are you going to tell me?” 

“I’m not.” 

“Jeyne!” 

“Sansa!” She shakes her head. 

“I can’t believe you.” 

“Seriously, it’s… I mean, it’s nothing bad. I promise. Just… wow. But I just can’t tell you.” 

“No! You don’t get to say “ _wow_ ” and not tell me what’s so wow!” 

No matter what Jeyne says, Sansa’s mind starts to get filled with all these terrible ideas and scenarios. Not knowing about Margaery was okay, but knowing that there’s something “wow” that you don’t know… that’s not good. That’s terrible. 

“Is she like… married?” 

“What? No. Well, I don’t think she is.” 

“Straight? Is she messing with me?” 

“It’s not that, Sansa! I swear it’s not bad. What I know doesn’t really change anything and—and …” 

“Come on, Jeyne! Just tell me! You can’t just… not!” They’re in the building so Sansa’s exclamations can’t be really loud and dramatic, still, she tries. “It’s too late for that.” 

“She’ll tell you soon enough. She has to, you’ll see.” Jeyne bites her cheek and Sansa knows that she can break her. She’ll make her confess. She can do it. 

And that’s when the trouble begins. Does Sansa really want to know? Seriously? Because that’s not part of the “deal” she has with Margaery. She doesn’t know why, but she kind of trusts her. As much as you can trust someone you haven’t seen in person, of course. But it sounds like… cheating. 

“You’re the worse. I hope you know that.” 

As much as she loves her friend, she’s really hurt. And it’s not only because Jenye’s not telling her about her findings, that’s quite secondary. It’s about the fact that now Jeyne knows more things about Margaery than she does. And that’s unfair. She should be the one getting to know things about Margaery, not her friend and her idiotic ways. 

Sansa goes to her desk without bothering to say goodbye to Jeyne. She doesn’t deserve her politeness, so Sansa’s going to save it for later, when she’s less angry at her. She feels Jayne’s staring at her, but her will stays strong and she doesn’t look back. With her attitude, she hopes the message she’s trying to send gets to Jeyne. “And now think about what you’ve done”. 

She gets her phone and starts writing. Her fingers move swiftly and soon she has finished her statement of hurt pride, although Margaery won’t know. 

_Tell me something I don’t know about you._

The reply comes later while Sansa is turning her computer on, getting her desk ready for the day. 

My birthday soon. 

Sansa hums and stops what she’s doing. She wasn’t expecting that answer, yet she doesn’t know what she wanted to read. But it pleases her, in a way. Maybe because it’s such a normal fact that she just… enjoys it. Like she would have had a day before. 

_Soon? When is soon?_

_The 21st :)_

Sansa checks her calendar. It’s a friday, lucky Margaery (specially if she doesn’t have to work on weekends, like Sansa has to, sometimes). She wants to be excited, she wants to think that maybe they can celebrate together, if things go well and at least they start hanging out. But the anxiety she’s been feeling prevents her from doing so. Pretending is easier when texting, though, so that’s a plus. She can keep doing that, until she knows what’s going on. 

_A friday! It’s nice when birthdays happen during the weekends._

_I know, right? If I were one of those people, I could have a whole birthday-weekend event or something._

_And you’re not?_

_Picture me shrugging. I don’t mind celebrating. It’s just that… I’m not into big events and stuff. Too exhausting and fake._

Sansa squints at the text. Does she mean events like… political events? Or does she have experience with other kind of huge social events? Maybe that’s what Jeyne found out about Margaery. Maybe she used to be the partying kind and she has a past filled with wild parties and crazy pictures. But Sansa can deal with that. If only she knew for sure. 

Damn Jeyne. 

 

Her phone starts vibrating and the Imperial March starts playing. She grins, she knows who’s calling thanks to the custom ringtone. Arya. 

Maybe a call from her sister during lunch time is what she needs to keep her from overthinking stuff. 

“Hey, you.” 

“How’s my favorite sister?” Arya asks, and Sansa instantly notices that she’s in a good mood. 

“Everything’s going good. More or less. What about you?” 

“I’m able to visit you this weekend! Details later.” 

Sansa lets out a delighted squeal. “Oh that’s great!” 

“I know, right? But now, tell me about the less part of your “more or less”, please.” 

And Sansa does tell her. She tells her about Margaery, about Jeyne’s betrayal, and how she can’t help but feel that Margaery’s too awesome to be true; which after what Jeyne has told her might as well be the case. Arya listens, humming or asking for clarification during some parts of the story, and when Sansa’s done… well, nothing happens for a few seconds. Then she talks. 

“First, I’m glad you met someone nice.” Arya says. “You deserve it.” 

“Yeah but—“ 

“Silence, your super clever and helpful sister’s not finished yet.” Arya says, and Sansa can hear her laugh on the other side. “I do believe that you need to meet her asap, because you’re freaking out and it’s going to do a lot of harm. I notice even through texts when you’re okay or not. And it’s not just because I’m your sister and I know you, it’s just a thing. The way we text changes depending on what we feel… and she’s going to notice eventually. Either that, or you’ll lose interest after so much freaking out and pretending that everything’s okay.” 

“We’re going to meet next Tuesday. Supposedly.” 

“No, that’s too long for you to freak out. Meet her this weekend, tomorrow, I don’t know. Just do it.” 

“No, I want to hang out with you.” 

“I’m not telling you to go spend all the weekend with her, just go get a coffee or something.” 

Sansa bites her lip, thinking about it. She could do it. She could, yet… 

“I don’t know.” 

“Promise me that at least, you’ll think about it.” 

“Okay…” Sansa rolls her eyes.

“And let me know what you decide to do. But please, go see her. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work… but at least give it a try!” 

“I will, I will… Tell you about it, I mean. And now, you tell me about your visit. Can’ts wait!” 

Arya keeps her entertained while she eats a sandwich sitting on a bench outside the library. The weather is mildly cold, but Sansa wanted to be alone. Or well, without Jayne at least. She feels like one of those teenagers who get all offended by little things and stops talking to their bffs (although what Jeyne did was so not a little thing!). Oh well. 

She has only five minutes left of her break, and she realizes that she hasn’t texted Margaery yet. It was the first thing she used to do when she went to eat… she shakes her head. It’s starting, Arya was right. She’s letting that information (or lack of) get into her head. It’s going to ruin it, eventually. 

She sighs, putting her phone back on her bag. She’ll say something later… or something. 

 

Sansa’s “later” becomes many hours later, when she’s almost getting ready to go to sleep. And she only texts because she gets one message from Margaery before. 

_Busy evening?_

To lie or not to lie. She decides to go with a noncommittal answer. 

_Kind of…_

Sansa hates the feeling. She hates that it’s nothing that Margaery has done, yet it’s who she blames. That’s what bothers her the most. Because it’s not her fault, not really! 

_At least tomorrow’s friday, yay! (unless you work this weekend, then… I’m sorry and I hope you still get some rest and get to do fun stuff)_

_I do work on Saturday, and thanks! Hopefully I will._

_Well… I’ll let you rest now… night, Sansa._

_Night._

She feels so bad after the short exchange that she puts her phone as far away from her as possible (which means the bedside table that’s opposite to her side of the bed). Damn Jeyne and damn everything. She should be happy! Happy because a really nice girl is kind of interested in getting to know her, not bitter because her friend’s done something awful behind her back. 

At least she has Lady to keep her company. She doesn’t care how much hair she’s going to shed on her bed, she’s totally sleeping in the room with her that night. Best anti depressant ever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I realized that I spelled Jeyne wrong. I blame Jayne Cobb, it's totally his fault that I'm more used to that spelling. I've already edited yesterday's chapter, *headdesk*


	6. Day 6

It’s subtle. It’s so subtle that Margaery wonders if it’s all in her head or if it has really happened. But Sansa sounds different. She sounds less… enthusiastic, for a lack of a better word. It’s enough to make Margaery wonder what has happened. Of course, it might be just that Sansa has a bad day, every person’s entitled to have them, right? There’s nothing weird about it. But she… okay, maybe it’s just her, but she would have told Sansa. She would have told her about her crappy day or her crappy mood. Then again, maybe Sansa’s not the sharing kind, and just because she’s in that weird phase where she wants Sansa to know things about her, sharing as much as possible without being annoying, doesn’t mean that Sansa is in the same place too. So maybe she’s reading too much into things. 

Or maybe she’s not and she’s right. That’s a scary thought. 

 

Later, when Margaery’s at her brother’s apartment, she shares her worries with him over a glass of wine. The first of many to come, she thinks.

“Maybe I’ve done or said something weird.” She tells Loras, while he pours the wine. “I hate not knowing.” 

“Maybe she thinks you’re weird because you still haven’t asked for a picture.” He shrugs and cleans the wine bottle so it won’t drip on the table. 

“Yeah. _That_ must be it.” She looks at him with annoyance. “Be serious, Loras.” 

“Why isn’t that serious? It’s a possibility.” He smiles devilishly. “Maybe she thinks you’re not really interested in her.” 

“Oh, that’s rich. I ’m sure that’s exactly what’s going on. I’ll make sure I apologize. I can picture the conversation. _Hey, Sansa, I’m sorry I didn’t ask for your picture, I was trying not to sound too shallow… I guess I was wrong._ Does that sound good, dear brother?”

“Spectacular.”

She snorts and sips on her drink, humming when the sweet taste of the red wine (from one of the family vineyards) spreads through her mouth. 

“Ugh, it’s so good.” 

He nods, agreeing with her. “Anyway. Didn’t you tell me that she’s working tomorrow? Go visit her.” 

“Are you listening to yourself? You’re suggesting that I show up, unexpectedly, at the workplace of the the same girl that maybe, probably, doesn’t want to keep talking to me.” 

“If you put it like that, it sounds bad. But I’m just saying… go big or go home. And I think you’re overreacting a little bit.” 

Margaery sighs and makes herself more comfortable on the couch. Loras has a glorious couch, in her opinion. She doesn’t know how he gets anything done with a couch like that. He must have a very strong willpower, she’d just stay there all day. 

“I really love this couch.” 

“You better not spill wine on it, or I’ll murder you.” 

“I’d never hurt this baby.” She says, patting the cushion. 

“Then I’ll leave you two alone… I’m going to change into something appropriate.” 

She uses the time Loras’ in his room getting ready for their dinner to check her messages. Sansa hasn’t said anything new, but Margaery has decided to keep talking to her like nothing’s changed.   
_  
So, I’m waiting for my brother’s date to show up, we’re having dinner together. I’m nervous._

She’s surprised (and she hates that she is) when Sansa replies almost right away. It’s like she didn’t even expect a reply. 

_Why are you nervous? Shouldn’t the girlfriend be the one who’s nervous?_

_Boyfriend. He’s as gay as they make them ;)_

_Oh. Sorry… I didn’t know._

_I know, lol. That’s why I’m telling you…_

_So you have a gay brother and you’re…_

_Too, if that’s where you getting at. He says I was just jealous he was so fabulous and I had to copy him._

_Wow._

_That’s what our parents said, too! :P_

Sansa doesn’t reply as quickly as she had before, so Margaery takes that as a cue to leave her phone on the table for the rest of the night. That weird feeling has invaded her again and she wants to focus on how she’s about to meet her brother’s kind-of-closeted boyfriend. 

 

When half an hour later she sees Renly for the first time, Margaery tries to hide her smirk. He’s totally her brother’s type. Dressed with a black v neck t-shirt and an opened plaid shirt, skinny jeans and sleek boots. Even though he’s trying to convey a messy type of guy, Margaery realizes instantly that everything on the guy is exactly where he wants it to be. From the not-too-long beard to the way the t-shirt’s half tucked in his jeans. 

“So you’re Renly.” Margaery smiles as she holds out her hand and gives him a firm handshake. “Glad I’m finally meeting you! This one here hasn’t stopped talking about you.” 

“Hey now!” Loras pretends to give her an annoyed look, but she knows he’s enjoying it. 

“He talks about you a lot too! And I’m glad I’m here, he can be quite persuasive…” 

“Can’t argue with that, not really.” Loras says, nodding. 

They laugh and go back to the couch, since dinner isn’t ready yet. It still needs fifteen minutes, and this time Margaery pours a drink to Renly while the lovebirds settle on a couch. She looks at them and she feels a pang of jealousy when his brother whispers something to Renly and he laughs softly. Their hands are touching and they just… damn it, she wants that. She misses that. 

 

“Tell my sister how she should go meet this girl tomorrow.” 

“You should definitely do it.” Renly says, nodding. Margaery rolls her eyes, of course he’s on his side. “If she doesn’t like that a girl like you shows up… then she’s either crazy or has a really, really bad taste in women.” 

“Oh come on. You don’t have to flatter me, I already like you!” Margaery says, jokingly. Although it’s true that she likes him. 

“I was merely stating a fact. Gay men are known from their good taste.” 

Margaery arches an eyebrow and then bursts out laughing. He says it like it’s not a big deal, which she was not expecting (at least not after what Loras told her), and she just loves it. They’ve had a bit of wine, the food was delicious because, even though it’s hard to admit, Loras is a great cook, and the company has turned out to be even better. She can think of better ways to spend a Friday evening, but not many. 

She apologizes and tells them that she needs to go out for a second. She catches Loras shaking his head, knowing what she’s about to say. But come on, Margaery thinks, they’ve been talking to Sansa… and she just wants to 

_Neither of us was nervous in the end. The meeting has been a success!_

She puts it back in her pocket because she’s not expecting an answer, at least not yet. Still, it vibrates after not many seconds. 

_I’m glad to hear, really._

Margery doesn’t have time to send another text, because her brother’s hugging her and dragging her back into the living room. Renly handles her a glass of wine, one that has been filled once more. 

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” She squints at the two of them. 

“We thought it might be the only way to convince you to visit the girl tomorrow.” 

_Sansa_ , Margaery thinks. It’s not “the girl”, it’s Sansa. And she wants to see her. Actually, it’s more than wanting to… she needs it. Because otherwise she’ll go crazy. She can’t not know, not when it comes to her. She doesn’t want to give that small part of her brain that told her “this won’t end well” the pleasure to be right. Determination ignites inside of Margaery. And maybe it’s the wine she’s been drinking, maybe it’s the encouragement from the boys… but suddenly it’s all clear. 

“Hells, I’m going to do it.”


	7. Day 7

_So... I needed something new to read and I'm at this really cool library. I'm just letting you know... So if you feel like meeting earlier than anticipated, come find me in the cafeteria! No pressure, tho. Feel free to say no and ignore this message!_

She sends the text and she doesn't feel relieved like she thought she would. Instead she feels nervous. Anxiety kicks in while she tries to get ready for the disappointment of realizing she doesn’t get to meet Sansa. 

After all, why would Sansa want to meet her all of a sudden? Margaery has given her no warning, she basically thought that it’d be okay to just show up where she worked. Gods, she was such a stalker. Why did she listen to her brother’s crazy idea? She should have known better. 

She focuses on her coffee, not wanting to look around much in case Sansa decides to show up and decides that it’s not a good idea in the end. It’s not like Margaery knows how she looks like, but maybe she will recognize it if Sansa is looking for her too. 

An intruder, that’s how she feels like. Because she has no right to be there, not really, no one has invited her... And yet, there she is. She stares at her phone and at the coffee mug while trying to control her nerves. It’s not fair, she’s not this nervous kind of girl. She doesn’t like the feeling. She likes to control things, and there are so many variables here that there’s no way that she can predict an outcome. 

Half an hour. That's how long she's going to wait. Unless Sansa texts her before saying that she won't show up, in which case she'll leave ASAP. Gods. What if she does in fact show up? That thought is both exhilarating, exciting and scary. But that won’t happen, probably. But what if… 

"Margaery…?” 

The soft voice comes from behind, putting an end to all her inner divagations. Margaery turns around, her heart pounding fast on her chest, her ears… she can feel it everywhere. Just a second before she had no idea what Sansa looked like, besides having long auburn hair, and now, all of a sudden… she’s looking right at her. And it’s so much to take in just in a second. She had kind of thought that Sansa would be in one of those librarian outfits that movies and tv shows had made so popular, but Sansa isn’t wearing glasses nor a skirt, instead she’s wearing black jeans and a white shirt tucked in. It reminds Margaery of her own work attire, although a little less formal. 

A couple of seconds pass before Margaery realizes that she hasn’t said anything yet. She hopes she's not gaping. If she is, well... She'll apologize later.

Sansa gives her a tiny shy smile, and it makes Margaery react, finally. 

"Hi, Sansa.” She gets up from the comfy chair. 

Sansa gives her a tiny wave. “Hello.” 

"Wow this is..." Being speechless. She's going to be one hell of a politician, Margaery thinks. “Wow.” 

_Way to go, Margaery, charm her with your extensive vocabulary._

"Kind of weird, isn't it?" Sansa laughs softly, then she blushes like she's realized she's said something wrong and hurries to apologize. "The good kind of weird, I mean. Sorry."

"Please, don't apologize.” At last, words start to make sense to Margaery again. “I’m the one who should be sorry. Sneaking up on you like this, not really knowing if you’d be up for it or not… I’m sorry if it’s weird.” 

“No, no. Don’t worry. I’m glad you did it, it’s good that we can meet… at last.” 

They stare at each other for a moment, probably both taking in the fact that they are, in fact, in the same room looking at the real person and not at some words on a phone. 

“Do you want to sit down? Do you have time?” 

Sansa doesn’t answer, but she does take a seat in front of Margaery’s. 

“I asked for fifteen minutes, or so.” She comments. “I didn’t take a coffee break before, so one thing for another.” 

She smiles again and it’s enough to make Margaery want to bang her head against the table between them. Oh, it’s been so long since she’s had these feelings. Warm feelings. Happy feelings. And this can’t be happening, not so soon. But it is. 

“Must be my lucky day, then.” 

Sansa’s shy smile. There’s no salvation for Margaery, not anymore. 

“How’s work today?” She tries to distract herself making small talk. 

“Oh, you know, busy with kids. When they’re not in school we can tell. But they’re the best part of this job, so I’m not really complaining.” 

“So you like kids.” Margaery arches an eyebrow and she hopes that Sansa understands she’s joking. 

“Yup. I want three or four. At the same time and next year, if everything goes according to plan.”

Margaery snorts. “Good answer.”

A comfortable silence sets in between them. It’s nice, Margaery thinks, to be there with Sansa while enjoying a nice coff— 

“Oh gods. Where are my manners?” 

Sansa frowns slightly, confused, and it’s so cute that Margaery almost forgets why she was alarmed in the first place. 

“What do you want to drink?” 

“Oh, don’t worry I—“ 

“I’m getting you something to drink.” Margaery states, getting up. “So you can either tell me what you’d like or I’ll get you what I _think_ you want.” 

“Now I’m curious about what you’d get me…” Sansa pretends to think about it for a second. “Yes, I’m going to let you decide.” 

“Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be?” 

Sansa bites her lip, trying not to smile and not really managing to prevent it. 

Margaery shakes her head. “If you don’t like it, well, then the joke will be on you.” 

She turns to take a quick look at Sansa while she’s walking towards the bar and she sees her also looking at her. While she doesn’t know about Sansa’s reasons, Margaery just wanted to make sure that she was in fact there and she had not just imagined the whole thing. But by the look on Sansa’s face, turning to look at her was the right move. Good job, Margaery. 

The coffee dilemma. Now that she’s presented with a decent sized menu, what should she do? Is Sansa a soy-milk type of girl? (No, she would have mentioned it). Maybe it’s a simple but classy cappuccino. Espresso? No, she doesn’t look like the type. Frappuccinos in November? Not really. Gods, why did she say that? 

Then Margaery has a lightbulb moment. 

“Do you know the girl over there? Sansa?” 

The barista looks at the table where Sansa is sitting talking to some kid and nods. 

“That’s just brilliant. Maybe you can help me, then… What does she drink?” 

The girl smiles, probably realizing what Margaery’s about to do. “Caramel macchiatio, as far as I remember.” 

“Awesome. You’re the best!”

“So… one caramel macchiato, then?” 

“Oh, yes.” Margaery smirks and nods, pleased with herself. 

The barista is going to get a really big tip. 

 

It’s all worth it. The second that Sansa notices what the drink in front of her is, well, it makes the initial trouble well worth it. It’s basically priceless. She looks so surprised and so creeped out, in a way, that Margaery has serious issues fighting back the urge to laugh. 

“What?” Margaery asks, pretending to be concerned. “You don’t like it?” 

“No, I mean… Yes, I do. It’s just…” 

She can’t help it anymore, and even though she does it as quietly and as discreetly as possible, she breaks into laughter, which makes Sansa squint at her. 

“What did you do?” 

Margaery shrugs, giving her a really smug smile. Honestly? She feels quite proud of herself. But since Sansa figured out that she cheated somehow, she can also figure out that one, too. 

And she does. The barista waves from the bar and Sansa waves back. When she looks at her, again, her eyes have this kind-of-spark thing that make Margaery wonder why and when that happens normally. Maybe she’ll be able to figure it out in the future. 

“You got me there, for a moment.” Sansa says. With her blue eyes staring right at her, Margaery’s smile falters. 

“I don’t know what I liked best, the oh-she-guessed-correctly face, or the wtf-how-did-she-know one.” 

“Hey, that’s uncalled for!” 

She laughs, they both do. It’s so weird, so nice. How can two people that barely know each other feel so… at ease with each other? It’s like they were meant to meet. Margaery doesn’t believe in destiny, fate or either of those things, a coincidence is how she’d call it, but whatever word she chooses… she’s just happy it has led them to that moment. 

“So, now that we know each other… can I get your number?” Margaery asks the question she had known that she’d ask since the moment she decided to visit her. “It’ll make things easier if I don’t have to use the app.” 

“Oh, sure. Good idea.” 

“Apparently I’m full of them today!” 

Sansa laughs, softly. “You are, definitely.” 

Margaery hands Sansa her phone and her fingers graze hers for the briefest of moments. It’s enough to make both of them freeze for a second, too stunned with the unexpected contact. Sansa then types her number, a bit nervously, in Margaery’s opinion, and gives the phone back. That time there’s no accidental touching, sadly. 

 

Sansa finishes her coffee earlier than Margaery would have liked, because that’s her cue to leave. She should have ordered the extra large one, or something. 

“If I don’t leave, they’re going to miss me.” Sansa explains, apologetically. 

“Yeah, I understand. I will too.” 

Bam! All in. But whatever, it works because Sansa blushes just slightly. Gods, she can’t. She can’t with this girl, and that face and… 

“I’ll… I’ll see you on tuesday, right?” Sansa asks. 

“Right. Can’t wait!” 

“Same…” Once again, they just stare at each other for a few moments. “… And now I really have to go.” 

“May the Force be with you.” 

Margaery winks an eye at her, playfully, before Sansa waves goodbye and leaves laughing and shaking her head. 

Now, that went well. 

 

“Loras, pay attention because you’re not going to hear this from me many times in your life. Thank you. Thank you for being so annoying and persistent. You’re the best and I love you. ” 

He’s never going to delete that voice message.

 

_Hi there, stranger._

_Hey! So this is your number…_

_It is :) I figured you’d be out from work already._

_You guessed right._

_I’m on a roll today! Yay :D_

_LOL! About that Margs… I’m really glad you visited. Best surprise I’ve had in a long time._

_Win-win situation, then. Hopefully, on Tuesday we’ll have more time!_

_Oh, we will. Definitely._

_Enjoy hanging out with your sister, okay? Give Lady a pat from me._

_N’aww! I will. And you enjoy your weekend too._

_See you soon :)_

_See ya <3 _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First week sure went fast! :D For now, I'm just happy they met.


	8. Day 8

Wet things. Wet things on her face. Why? She just wants to sleep! Sansa makes a great effort to open an eye and sees a big fluffy thing. With a huge tongue dangling near her face. 

“Lady!” She groans and whimpers, she’s too sleepy to move. “Stop ittt…” 

Arya’s laughter reaches her ears and it’s enough motivation to make Sansa open both her eyes, no matter how much the light hurts them. But of course it was Arya, how could it not be her? Sansa had left the door closed the night before, as usual, so the fact that Lady was inside could only mean that Arya was up and bored. 

“I’m going to kill you.” She mutters. 

“You love me.” 

“Not relevant.” 

Lady gets bored of licking her face and lays next to Sansa, for which she is thankful. She uses that opportunity to hug the dog, burying her face on her soft fur for a few seconds. She’s like a fluffy pillow. 

“Come on! I’m making coffee and pancakes.” 

“Really?” Sansa sits up a bit, suddenly the prospect of getting up gets more and more interesting.

“Well.” Arya smirks. “Only fifty percent of that sentence was true, but… isn’t caffeine enough to make you want to get up and be with your sister?” 

“Wow. Disappointing much?” 

 

While Sansa’s getting ready for breakfast, she has time to think about the previous day. In particular, about how she’s finally met Margaery. She grins, a full on grin that she can’t help, Tuesday can’t come soon enough! She was with Margaery for what looked like a minute and a half (apparently twenty minutes or so) but she’s craving for more. A lot more! Sansa had expected many things, but certainly not to like her so much. She was so charming, so funny, so, so, so pretty in real life!! That picture did not make her justice. She knows she’s getting too excited about the whole thing, but it’s better than not feeling anything at all, so she’s going to go with it and just… see where that takes them. 

“Call her. Tell her you want to meet her today.” Arya says, while eating her toast. 

They’ve been trying to have a normal conversation, but Sansa’s head was somewhere else… and her sister knows her pretty well. 

Sansa shakes her head. “We’re meeting in two days… I need to exercise my patience.” 

“That’s stupid. Besides, she visited you yesterday, so she has no patience either… would it be so bad to ask?” Arya arches her eyebrows, and Sansa shrugs. “Tell her that you’re about to walk Lady, and if maybe she wants to join you two, I don’t know. There are a million things that you could do with her.” 

She knows.

“What about you? You’re here visiting me…” 

“I’ll live if you decide to ditch me for a hot date.”

Sansa smiles. The truth is that the prospect of seeing Margaery again is quite alluring and… it doesn’t have to be for a long time, just for a bit, and then she can enjoy a few more hours with Arya before she has to leave.

“That reminds me… I still don’t know what Jeyne saw online. Nothing that Margaery told me yesterday sounded like a “wow” thing to me.” 

“Who fucking cares?” Sansa cringes at Arya’s outburst.“ Sorry. But I’m sure she’ll tell you at some point if it’s something worth telling. And if she doesn’t, well, maybe it’s not so important.” 

Deciding what to do isn’t easy, but eventually, she grabs her phone and sends a quick text. 

_Hey…_

The reply comes a few minutes later, while they’re cleaning the kitchen. 

_Hi? :)_

“Okay, I’m going to ask her.” Sansa takes a deep breath and Arya gives her a thumbs up. 

“You go, girl!” 

_This is going to sound weird maybe, but… I was going out to walk Lady in a bit and I was wondering if maybe, I don’t know, you wanted to join us._

_Aw! I’d love to but I was meeting a friend for coffee soon…_

Sansa grimaces. She shouldn’t have asked. Now it’s awkward and she doesn’t like it. 

“She’s meeting a friend.” She informs Arya. “I shouldn’t have asked. Damn you, Arya.” 

Her sister looks at her apologetically, shrugging. 

_Oh! It’s okay. It was a long shot…_

_Wait, weren’t you with your sister?_

_Yeah, but she was going to stay home, I think._

_You should come meet us, I mean… your sister and you. Sure, it’s not ideal… but at least we can hang out?_

“She wants us to meet them.” She says, almost to herself. “That’s… interesting. And kind of weird.” 

“And do you want us to go? Because I’ll do it, for you.” 

_Don’t worry, you’re busy and I just wanted to see if I could meet you before tuesday :)_

_And you can! :( Come on, we don’t bite (most of the time). My friend’s really nice and you can talk about Star Wars with him too! Lol._

“Oh. It’s a boy who’s a friend. I don’t know why I assumed that she was meeting a girl. Weird.” 

“Does that even matter?” 

“Not really, I don’t know. I just think it’s funny, how I just assumed…” 

Arya gestures towards Sansa’s phone, visibly annoyed. 

“Come on! The suspense is killing me, tell her we’ll go!” She groans. 

Sansa sighs. “Okay, okay…” 

Arya, then, says under her breath. “Weirdest date ever.” 

“Hey! It’s not a date. It’s a… morning meeting between friends. Or something.” 

Arya laughs while Sansa texts Margaery. 

_Okay. If you’re really okay with us crashing your meeting, then tell me a place and a time._

_Of course I’m okay with it, I'll get to see you again, how could I not be okay with that? :)_

 

The feeling she gets when she sees Margaery doesn’t change from what she had felt the day before. She still has that pang of nervousness and excitement making a weird mix, but she’s mostly glad. And happy. The only thing that changes is that this time Arya is with her and Margaery’s with a quite handsome man herself. 

“Ah, you found us!” Margery smiles as she approaches them. “Good morning!” 

Sansa wants to hug her, or kiss her, or give her a handshake, she wants to do anything as long as it involves some sort of touching. But instead, she waves awkwardly again. Gods, why can’t she just… do something?! 

“It wasn’t that hard.” Says Sansa, joking, unable to keep her eyes off her. 

“Good. I’m glad.” 

The big smile never leaves Margaery’s face, and it makes Sansa forget what they are and, most importantly, who they are with. But Margaery’s also looking at Sansa for what appears to be a little too long. 

Then Arya coughs and Sansa wants to kick her. 

“Come on, introduce me.” Arya says, playfully. “Don’t be rude.” 

Yes, it’s all a bit awkward in the beginning, but soon they’re sitting down sipping on their beverages and talking about random things like the weather, because apparently it’s not as cold as it was last year and clearly it’s a topic that needs to be discussed in detail. Sansa could write a book about the lack of social skills she has, gods. But Margaery comes to the rescue, she’s more calm and collected than Sansa will ever be, which is fine by her. 

“Arya, I hear you love Star Wars too?” And just like that, Margaery puts an end to the weather talk. 

“Are you kidding me?” Arya grins. “It’s only the best saga ever.”

Gendry snorts. “Come on. It’s the Lord of the Rings. Everyone knows that.” 

“Excuse me?” 

Margaery gets closer to Sansa and whispers close to her ear. “Maybe bringing that up wasn’t such a good idea…” 

Sansa smiles weakly, because all her focus is on Margaery’s proximity and how nervous (but great) it makes her feel. She can even smell her perfume, and she can’t recognize the scent, but she knows she likes it. Oh, she likes it alright. 

“The things that the Lord of the Rings deals with are much more complex than the Star Wars ones.” Gendry tells Arya. And suddenly it’s clear to Sansa that the two nerds have decided to ignore them, whether it’s intentional or not, Sansa doesn’t know yet. But she’ll ask Arya later. 

“Complexity doesn’t make a movie better.” Arya rebukes. 

“Gendry, stop being a dick.” Margaery says, glaring at her friend. “He loves Star Wars, he’s just giving you a hard time for some reason.” 

“I’m not! I’m stating a fact. The Lord of th—“ 

He doesn’t finish his sentence because Margaery hits him on the shoulder, and although he complains Sansa thinks that with those muscles he can’t really be hurt, can he? 

“By the way… Did you hear about _The Force Awakens_? Crappy title, right?” Arya says, shaking her head.

“ _What_?” Gendry’s once more appalled by her words. “It’s not! Nothing that involves the Force is crappy.” 

“Midichlorians are.” 

He pauses for a second. “So what if Episode I was a mistake, more or less? It had Darth Maul.” 

“Not the point.” Then Arya smiles, like she’s pleased with something. “Although he’s super cool, I’ll give you that.” 

It’s like a tennis match, Sansa thinks. Then she looks at Margaery, who’s staring at the two of them visibly amused, and when she notices Sansa’s stare, she shrugs like saying “how did this happen?”. But Sansa knows her sister, and no matter how annoyed she looks now… she’s enjoying it. She likes to be challenged, and the Gendry guy is certainly not going to let Arya have her way. 

“So…” Margaery says, letting Arya and Gendry keep arguing while she turns to face Sansa. “When do I get to meet Lady?” 

Sansa groans. “Don’t talk to me about her today. Arya here let her in my room and she woke me up licking my face.” 

“But that’s adorable!” 

“Because you weren’t the one getting face washed!” 

She laughs and it’s wonderful (And Sansa knows she has really corny thoughts, but who cares?) 

“What kind of dog is she?” 

“Oh! Oh, that’s right. You haven’t seen her! Unacceptable, wait a sec.” Sansa quickly gets her phone out and scrolls through her pictures until she finds one where Lady is playing with a rope. That’s one topic that she enjoys and is good at, her dog. 

“Wow. She’s… bigger than I expected.” Margaery looks impressed. 

“I’m not a chihuahua kind of girl, no.” 

“I can see tat. Huskies are gorgeous.” 

_No. Huskies are just huskies,_ you’re _gorgeous_ , Sansa thinks. But of course, she won’t say that.

“I agree.” She says, instead, hoping she’s not blushing or anything. “And she’s pretty great, too. Obedient and stuff.” 

_Way to go, Sansa…_

 

They end up having some conversations where the four of them participate, but it’s mostly Margaery talking to her, while Arya and Gendry discuss some controversial stuff that they don’t agree with. She’s not complaining, in fact, it’s quite a comfortable arrangement. Eventually, though, they have to leave because Margaery has some sort of family thing and naturally, if she leaves, Gendry is going to leave too. 

“This was a very weird meeting.” Margaery says, while they walk out of the coffee shop. 

Sansa instantly feels a bit embarrassed about it, maybe she shouldn’t have said yes, maybe sh—

“And like you said yesterday, I mean it in a good way.” Margaery winks an eye at her. 

“You sure?” 

Margaery laughs. “Of course I am. I had a great time. And you have a nice sister, I like her.” 

How not fair, Sansa thinks, that she hears Margaery say that she likes her sister instead of her. But she knows she shouldn’t feel jealous, it’s way too early for Margaery to say something like that… and maybe she doesn’t even feel it, so… 

“I’ll see you on Tuesday, then?” 

“Yes. No surprise visits tomorrow…” Margaery’s eyes gleam. “Busy day.” 

“That’s too bad…” Sansa gives Margaery a tiny smile. “I’ll… text you.” 

“Please do.” 

“Nice to meet you, Gendry.” Sansa says, turning to her sister and Gendry, who are standing a few meters away. 

“Same!” He smiles politely. “I hope to see you soon.” 

 

Saying goodbye, just like when they arrived, is a bit awkward. They’re still in that phase where they don’t know what to act in those key moments… So Sansa, again, waves her hand awkwardly and watches them go. Two days. They’ll see each other in two days, but still, she’s sad to see Margaery go. She was having so much fun! It’s not fair. It’s not fair that she’s going to be Margaery-less for a whole two days. Nope. 

“Wow, you’ve got it bad, don’t you?” 

“Don’t be such a child.” 

“This is priceless!” 

“Don’t get me started. You were all over Gendry.” 

“I was not!” 

“Uh huh.” 

“Sansa!” 

If Arya could mess with her, so could she. Wasn’t that what sisters were made for?


	9. Day 9

“Could you believe her!?”

From time to time, there’s one of those days that start with Gendry and Margaery doing anything but work. Apparently, the week’s about to start just like that. How very irresponsible of them… but then again, they’re hard workers and they’ll get everything that needs to be done, well… done. 

“Who’s that person that I’m not supposed to believe?” Margaery asks, warming her hands on the coffee mug. 

“Yesterday… Did you hear the things Arya was saying? She's... Ugh! So enervating!” 

Margaery laughs. Of course it's about Arya. She should have seen it coming. Only that there was no way she could she have predicted that her friend and Sansa’s sister would be so… aggressively into each other. She has yet to talk to Sansa, but she saw things between the two of them and she knows people. It’s totally happening… and wouldn’t that be delightful? She thinks. They could have really awesome double dates! Or triple dates, because Loras would adore Sansa and he’d definitely find Arya hilarious. Too much character in such a tiny person. 

Okay, time to stop the daydreaming. Real world is calling back. 

“Come on Gendry.” She says, finally. “You must admit you were kind of a jerk in the beginning. And she wasn’t that bad, she was actually nice, all things considered!” 

"If by nice you mean annoying, then I agree. I totally agree!" He looks quite indignant, like if what she’s saying is a personal offense to him. 

She tries to suppress a laugh. 

“Hey!” Gendry glares at her, not as amused as she is. 

She failed, clearly. 

“Sorry, sorry.” She gets her best poker face to ask her next question. "What did you think of Sansa, by the way?”

“She's nice. A bit shy, maybe? But she really likes you, so…” He hums, like he’s considering if Sansa’s worth of Margaery (which is funny, because Margaery feels completely the opposite). “Yeah, she could be good for you.” 

No. She shouldn’t feel _that_ happy with a simple statement like that one… but maybe she should, because isn’t that what life is about? The little things? There’s a chance that Sansa might like Margaery back and that’s a really great feeling, isn’t it? So why not enjoy it? She might as well stop fighting it.

“You think so?” 

“Come on.” He looks at her like she’s being stupid. “She went there with her annoying little sister just to meet you, which I thought was kind of weird in the beginning. But anyway, she couldn't wait ‘till Tuesday to see you. She _liiiiikes_ you, Marg. Definitely.” 

Margaery grins, and who cares if it’s eight thirty in the morning and she has a really long day ahead? Things are looking good. It’s going to be a great day indeed! And the best part? Tuesday will be even better. 

“Wow. Did you see the latest poll? Your grandma’s kicking asses.” 

Just like that, they’re back at work. And there’s tons of it. 

 

Her phone chimes when she’s getting ready to leave. It’s late, but there was so much to do that day… The moment she sees Sansa’s name on the screen the weariness she feels evaporates. She’s expecting a text, but it’s much more than that. It’s a picture of Sansa and Lady. And it’s so unexpected that Margaery doesn’t even know how to reply to that. She just… ugh. Sansa’s so pretty. And she wants to hug that girl (quite possibly the dog too, if she’s nice and all that). Thankfully for her, Sansa texts her, stopping further thoughts. 

_So this is what I was going to send you before we met…_

_Why didn’t you??_

_Shyness I suppose._

_Well, you look adorable <3 _

Margaery waits a few seconds before adding the final touch. 

_(and Lady does too)_

_LOL, Margs. You’re quite a charmer, aren’t you?_

_As long as it works…_

_Can’t say that it’s not… ;)_

 

Enough with the stupid smiles, she thinks, but she’s unable to stop them. She just can’t. Because Sansa’s — 

“So, are you coming or what?” 

The voice takes her by surprise. She looks up and sees that Gendry’s leaning against the office’s door frame, waiting for her. Shit. She had totally forgot that he was there. It’s getting out of hand. 

“You go ahead. I’ll… I’ll wait a bit.” 

Gendry arches an eyebrow, but says nothing (and for that, she’s glad). In the end, he just shrugs and waves. 

“Okay then. See you tomorrow, and enjoy!” 

“Bye! Will do. ” 

She’ll buy him coffee in the morning, she thinks before she goes back to focus on her phone. Where was she? Oh, right. Apparently her charm was working on Sansa. Ha! 

 

_:3 Good, good…_

_Okay, can I just ask you something?_

_Sure thing._

_What does the :3 mean!? I’ve never known._

_LOL! It’s supposed to be like a cute face? A cat. Something like that._

_I feel stupid. Also, a cat… where?! You’ve got quite an imagination._

_Don’t feel like that. Remember that I work in new media. I should know these things! :P_

_I hope you wrote that on your CV “Vast knowledge of emoticons”._

There’s this new thing that happens now that they text and now that Margaery know how Sansa looks and how she talks. She can picture her face while they’re texting. And she can even imagine what he expression is depending on her answers. It’s a really cool thing. 

_I totally did! I’ll show you someday._

_LOL. By the way… where should we meet tomorrow?_

_Hmmm. Are you working in the afternoon?_

_Nope, free day._

_Lucky girl, Sansa! Would it be a lot of trouble for you to come where I work?_

_Nope! Just tell me where that is and… I’ll be there._

_I’ll send you the address tomorrow :)_

_Ready to get blown away by the awesomeness that lemon cakes are, Margs?_

_Well…_

_Please, cut back on the enthusiasm. It’s too much! D:_

_LOL (I’m more enthusiastic about seeing you again)_

_Which isn’t that hard after the “well…”_

_Ouch!_

_:P What are you up to?_

_I’m on my way home. Or well… I was, until you sent me that pic and we started talking. Now I’m stuck at work! :P_

_Oh noes! Then I’ll shut up until you get home._

_Oh, don’t! It’s okay :)_

No reply. She squints at her phone, she thought that Sansa was joking… but now she’s started to believe that maybe she wasn’t bluffing after all. 

_Sansa?_

_… You’re really doing that, aren’t you?_

_Cause I can see you’re online._

_UGH!_

_I won’t leave until you say something._

_…_

_Come on, Sansa!_

_You’re evil like a hobbit, just so you know._

_FINE. Fine. I’ll go >___> _

 

And she does. 

In the end, Margaery thinks, Mondays aren’t that bad. Not anymore, at least, not since she’s started to talk to Sansa. She’s finding more and more reasons to enjoy those days (not just mondays, but every day in general). Besides, she’s learnt quite a few things that day. One of which is that Sansa can be quite stubborn when she sets her mind to it. 

And cute, considering her last goodnight text. But that wasn’t anything new. 

_See you tomorrow, Margs! :3 (look, a cat!)_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't know where the "evil like a hobbit" reference comes from... you should watch this <3 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zle0ZgkH4dw I miss this cast.


	10. Day 10

There’s nothing better than getting up whenever you want, Sansa thinks. Unless it’s getting up whenever you want on the same day that you have a date with someone you’re really into. It amazes her how Lady can feel her enthusiasm, because the dog runs and jumps all around her, obviously filled and sharing the excitement too. 

“Let’s go for a run, what do you say, Lady?”

Lady barks, happily. She hasn’t ran in a while, so she might as well burn some of that extra energy that she has by doing some exercise. Maybe the few hours that she has until they have to meet will go by faster. 

 

Hmm. Sansa double checks the address that Margaery gave her with the building that’s in front of her. These are like… serious business headquarters. There are posters of Olenna Tyrell everywhere, the woman who’s probably going to become the mayor of King’s Landing (or so Sansa wishes). She doesn’t enjoy politics that much, but she appreciates the job that the Tyrell is doing. So she’s kind of glad that Margaery works for a woman that believes in empowering other women, in general, and not with one of those Lannister guys. That would have been… well, quite hard to accept.

_I’m here, I think. It looks… very political-y._

_Well, I didn’t lie to you. What were you expecting? :P I’ll be right there!_

Yeah, what was she expecting, really? Sansa doesn’t know, but it clearly wasn’t that. A couple of minutes later, Margaery’s exiting the building with two other people, she recognizes Gendry. 

“See you tomorrow, Tyrell.” 

Both the random girl and Gendry say goodbye to Margaery, and he even waves and smiles at Sansa, although he quickly follows the stranger in the opposite direction. 

Something just clicks, in that moment. Tyrell. That’s what the girl called Maragery. Tyrell. As in… Olenna Tyrell? Is she related to the woman who’s running for mayor? No, that can’t be right. Although it’s “wow” worthy, definitely. What if what Jeyne found was that Margaery was, in fact, related to Olenna Tyrell? Oh gods. 

“Hey, I’m sorry I made you wait.” Margaery apologizes, but Sansa barely listens to her. 

“’S okay.” Her voice comes out weak. 

“Sansa?” 

“Hm?” She looks at Margaery and smiles with the same weakness as she spoke before. 

“Ah.” Margaery frowns. “You’re putting two and two together, aren’t you?” 

“I…”

Margaery sighs. “Let’s go have that lemon cake. I’ll explain.” 

Sansa nods, a bit dumbfounded. She’s not that into politics, but she’s heard about the Tyrell family. They come a long way back, just like Sansa’s family, except that hers didn’t manage to keep the power they used to have in the old ages. The Tyrell, though… they’ve always been quite wealthy, in every possible way. That much she knows. They make some of the best wine in Westeros and they’ve always been involved one way or another in politics. 

To Sansa’s surprise, Margaery drives a pretty normal car. It’s nothing fancy like she expected after finding out about her family. Although she hasn’t got a real confirmation yet. Maybe it’s some other thing. But no. Margaery’s reaction… yes, it has to be that. 

“Sorry it’s a bit messy.” Margaery says, when she opens the car. 

The mess she’s talking about consists of a few newspapers on the seats and a water bottle. So much for a mess. She should see Robb’s car on a bad day.

“You’re being weird.” She says as she starts driving towards where Sansa tells her. 

“You’re related to Olenna Tyrell.” 

“I am.” 

“Is she your… grandmother?” 

“Yup, Grandma T.” She jokes, but Sansa doesn’t laugh. 

“Wow.” 

Jeyne was right, after all. 

“We all have grandparents, Sansa.” 

“Yeah, but you’re like… rich and powerful.” 

Margaery laughs softly while she drives. “Not me- _me_. My family is.”

Sansa thinks about that. It really is a different thing, she was born into a wealthy family, it has nothing to do with Margaery at all, she couldn’t choose. Besides, that doesn’t change anything that she’s seen until that moment. 

“Look… I was the best in my class. I deserve to be working where I’m working, and I’m not bragging, I’m just saying. I could have worked almost anywhere I wanted, as long as it was related to politics, but I chose my grandma’s office because I know her and I know how good the work she does is. It’s not only because we’re related. Even though I can see why people would be suspicious, I worked my ass off for many years, I was valedictorian and I got the internship based solely in my merits.” 

“That’s even more wow worthy.” Sansa says. 

“Why?” 

“Because you could have still had everything you wanted without lifting a finger.” 

She shrugs. “Where’s the pride in that?” 

 

By the time they’ve reached the bakery slash coffee shop that Sansa’s taking Margaery to, she’s a bit less weirded out by the prospect of dating a Tyrell. Although, if she imagines how it’ll be when/if she ends up meeting her family, she has to admit that it makes her feel a bit overwhelmed. 

“This is a really nice place.” Margaery says, looking around.

“I know,” Sansa smiles, happy that she likes the place, “that’s why we’re here after all.” 

“So…” 

“So.” 

They laugh a bit awkwardly. Suddenly, Sansa can’t think of a single thing to say or do, until she remembers why they’re there. Lemon cakes! 

“Lemon cakes!” She smiles, because the idea of being there with Margery, about to see the girl eat her first lemon cake ever… it fills her with joy. She’s such a nerd, really. 

“Yay!” Margaery sounds a little too enthusiastic about it, at least compared to their previous conversations about them. 

Sansa can’t help but be suspicious about it. 

“… You’re pretending to be excited, aren’t you?” 

“The fact that I’m a bit indifferent towards lemon cakes right now doesn’t mean that I’m not happy to be here.” 

“Uh huh.” 

Sansa picks two lemon cakes out of the dozen or so that there are in display. The guy who’s working there is amused by the fact that she’s so picky, so Sansa ends up explaining that it’s Margaery’s “first lemon cake ever”, so she needs to choose wisely. 

“You shouldn’t have told him that.” Margaery whispers on their way to the table. “That was too much information.” 

“Well, it got us a free lemon cake, so shut up and enjoy it.” 

They pick a cozy table near the back of the café and they sit with their lemon cakes on plates while they wait for their drinks. 

“It looks yummy.” Margaery says, looking at the lemon cake from every side possible. 

“Wait until you taste it.” Sansa is almost drooling at the thought. “You should take a picture holding it or something. It’s something worth remembering, I’m telling you.” 

Margaery snorts. “Feel like taking it for me?” 

“Of course…” 

Margaery’s first lemon cake and Sansa’s first taken picture of Margaery. It’s almost poetic. A moment full of first times. 

She poses with the lemon cake and Sansa laughs while taking the picture, which leads to a blurry one (how did she manage to ruin her first!?) Margaery has to pose again, and it’s such a silly moment. 

“Can I try it now?” 

“Please, do.” 

Sansa can’t take her eyes off Margaery, and Margaery smirks as she takes the lemon cake, her eyes gleaming when she’s about to take the first bite. Okay, is it Sansa or suddenly that turned into a very sensual moment? 

“Hmm…” Margaery licks her lips after she’s done with it (gods!) “It’s… it’s not what I had expected, at all. And I mean this in the best way possible.” 

Success! 

 

Time flies when she’s with Margaery, that’s one of the things that she’s started to discover about herself. Just like that, it’s time to part ways. Sansa’s dreading the goodbye part. It’s going to be awkward again, she just can’t wait to get to a phase where they don’t need to worry if they touch, accidentally or not. Besides, it’s not the best way of ending a perfectly good date. Or whatever that was. Did they call it a date? Or is it just Sansa’s mind that’s calling it a date? She doesn’t remember and oh, who cares really? She just wants to be able to touch the girl that’s getting her scarf in place. 

Luckily for her, and before things start to get weirder, Margaery decides that she’s had enough and she leans in, kissing Sansa’s cheek softly. She does the whole thing so slowly that it feels normal (and so good) when her lips linger on her cheek for a second or two. Sansa’s breath gets caught in her throat. 

“Margs…” 

Sansa’s toying with Margaery’s scarf and she doesn’t even remember reaching to grab it (otherwise she would have never, ever, done such a thing!) Maybe it has something to do with how she feels like her insides are in a knot, so tight that she can barely breathe. Maybe. 

“Yes?” Margaery’s voice is soft and sexy. Gods, how can one person be so sexy saying a simple “yes”? 

“What are we doing here? I mean… are we even on the same page?”

She smirks. “And what page is that, Sansa?” 

She blushes. Or she feels like it. _Yes, Sansa, what page is that?_ Damn it. She should have thought about it before she asked that question. 

“I like you.” 

Three simple words, Margaery pronounces them like they’re no trouble at all. In a normal setting Sansa would be jealous, but her brain can’t process the information in that particular moment, so it’s too much to ask. She smiles a tiny and shy smile, because if she gives in to what she’s really feeling, she might start laughing like a crazy person and she doesn’t want to risk it. Margaery likes her. Huh. No big deal. Nope. Not at all. 

“What do you say, Sansa? Are you close to that page?” 

“Oh, I’m there.” Now she must be definitely, definitely, blushing. “I’m _so_ there.” 

“Good…” 

Margaery’s grinning too when she puts her hands on the lapels of Sansa’s jacket and pulls her closer. They’re standing so close to her that she can hear Margaery’s breathing, and again, she can smell that scent that she doesn’t recognize (she’ll have to ask at some point). It’s happening. _It’s happening._

“Very good.” Margaery whispers. 

And then her lips are on Sansa’s, making her forget how to think properly. 

The best part, besides the obvious “oh my gods I’m kissing Margaery Tyrell” is that she tastes like tea and lemon cakes. All those things together equal bliss. The most simple, perfect and awesome bliss. Can this go on forever? 

It doesn’t go on forever, but it does go on for a while… enough time for Sansa to find out about all these really interesting things, like for example, how soft Margaery’s hair is, how her skin feels against her fingertips, and how Margaery moans whenever Sansa bites her bottom lip. Every single time. 

When they finally say goodbye, Sansa’s happy to discover that it’s no longer awkward. 

 

Lady looks at her with her big dark eyes and Sansa giggles, scratching her cheeks and pulling her into a tight hug. 

“You know what, Lady? My pretty little Lady?” She asks. “She likes me. She likes _me_!” 

If she was the star of a Disney movie, she’d probably start singing and dancing with her dog, sharing her sheer joy with the audience. And Lady would probably have some really awesome choreographed moves… But she’s just a girl, with a mostly normal dog, leading a normal life. As normal as it can be now that she’s dating a girl from a rich and influential family, that is. 

What is she getting into, really?


	11. Day 11

She texts Loras the moment she wakes up (which is 6:30). 

_I need a pancake meeting. Urgent!_

He replies a minute later. 

_K. Be there in 30_

 

When she gets to the diner, their usual meeting place for the breakfasts before work, her brother’s already waiting at the door. She knows it’s him because she recognizes his curls, under all the layers and scarfs he seems to be wearing. 

“Been here long?” 

“Nope, just arrived.” 

They kiss and hug. 

“So, what’s wrong?” 

No need to beat around the bush. 

“Nothing. I mean, everything’s peachy.” Margaery says, as they enter the diner. “Except for the tiny little part in which I’m kind of freaking out.” 

They go to their “assigned seats”, like they call that table, and Loras looks at his sister expectantly. 

“I kissed Sansa yesterday.” She says. 

“Oh, boy.” 

“Exactly.” 

“And you’re freaking out because… she rejected you?” 

“No. I mean, not at all.” She grins, remembering. Last night was a good night. “She was really into it too.” 

“Then please, explain to me why this urgent meeting is happening.” Loras glares at her. “I left a very gorgeous and extremely sleepy Renly at home just to come here, so you better have a good excuse.” 

She’s about to reply when the waiter arrives, briefly interrupting them. 

“Pancakes.” Margaery says. “And coffee, please.” 

“I’ll have the same.” He tries to act like he’s bothered, but deep down he’s excited about the pancakes. As soon as the waiter leaves, he turns to his sister. “So, come on. Spill.” 

“I kissed her on the first date, Loras.” Margaery repeats. 

“I fail to see the problem here.” 

Margaery groans out of frustration. She doesn’t know how to explain the fact that she kinds of regrets kissing Sansa. Not because she didn’t enjoy it (oh, she did…) but because maybe she’s made Sansa believe that she was just looking for… a fling. 

“I don’t know.” 

“You _do_ know.” 

“It’s just… I don’t want her to feel like I’m looking just for something physical.” 

“Gods, Marg! You kissed her, so what? It wasn’t even sex.” Then his eyes open dramatically. “Wait. Was it sex?!” 

“No! Gee. No. She’s… We… Just no, okay?” 

Suddenly, she wonders if Sansa would blush at the thought, because that’s one of the things that she’s come to know about her, she’s definitely the blushing kind of girl and it’s super adorable. 

“Look, she kissed you back. I don’t see where the problem is.” 

Margaery takes a deep breath and gets ready to say those words out loud. It’s scary, but if she wants to get help from Loras, she needs to say them. 

“I like her too much.”

“Ah, there we go.” 

Sansa squints at him. “What’s that supposed to mean?” 

“You’re textbook panicking, Margaery. You could at least find something more original than the whole “oh noes, I’m scared of getting hurt!” thing. You’ve disturbed my beauty sleep for this?” 

“Oh, shut up!” She fakes annoyance. “What would have been good enough for you, my dear brother?” 

“Let’s see… you could have realized that you’re not gay after all, that you were just copying your older brother.” 

She snorts. “Plot twist. Anyway, you should know that although this is a common thing, it doesn’t make it less serious.” She says, trying to sound business-like. 

“Uh huh. Now please, tell me all about these made up psychological facts, or whatever you can come up with.” He rolls his eyes. 

“Nope… pancakes!” 

By the time they’re done with the pancakes (and they don’t lick the plates because it’s not really appropriate) Margaery’s feeling much better. Nothing like a morning therapy session with Loras to make her feel less scared and more like everything will be okay. And who knows, maybe Sansa will be the girl that doesn’t end up hurting her… 

 

She’s been working for three hours when she looks at the phone to check for the time. 

“Gendry. I’m going to get something from the coffee place in a moment.” Margaery stretches on her chair and yawns. “Want anything?” 

He shakes his head. “Thank you, tho!” 

She textes Sansa, before she leaves. 

_When do you have a break?_

_15 minutes. Why?_

_Tell you later!_

_… You’re annoying._

_Awww, Sans! I like you too! <3 _

_Idiot._

She’s never called Sansa before and she doesn’t know how the other girl feels about phone conversations, but she’s ready to try. She synchs her break with Sansa’s, and even before she’s out of the office, her hand’s already in her pocket looking for the phone. 

Sansa answers the call after a few seconds. 

“Hey there.” 

“Surprise call? I like it!” 

She smiles. She loves her voice and she loves that she sounds happy. “How are you today?” 

“I’m good… although bored. It’s a slow day at work and it’s mostly paperwork.” 

“Wanna talk about it?” 

“See, that’s the thing about a slow day. There’s nothing to talk about, Margs.” She hears Sansa laugh softly. 

“Smartass.” 

“Tell me about your day?” 

It warms her heart. The fact that Sansa wants to hear about what’s probably super boring for her… it’s really nice. 

“Okay, so there’s this asshole kind of guy tweeting lies about grandma T.” Sansa laughs and Margaery thinks “mission accomplished” before she keeps talking. “It’s kind of hilarious, in a way, but you have to know when to stop replying to these kind of people. So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past hour.” 

“Good girl, defending the family honor.”

“That’s me. A knight in shining armor.” 

“Mmm… That’d be quite a sight.” 

Margaery bites her lip. It feels like for Sansa, she could be more than that. A Jedi knight. Way more appropriate. 

 

 _Prior engagements my ass._ When Gendry tells Margaery that he can’t go get a beer after work, she tries but fails to be happy for him. She needs the distraction, because otherwise she’ll be too tempted to call Sansa and ask what she’s up to. And that’d be lame, because it’s too early to feel that… clingy. Isn’t it? 

She ends up sitting in her car, taking a picture making a sad face and sending it to Sansa. Because that’s what she does now, apparently. 

_N’aww! Why the sad face?_

_I can’t say._

_You really have to now._

_Nope._

_Damn it, Margs!_

_:3_

_No. Your cute cat won’t work on me._

_Shhhh… shhhh!_

_Maaaargaery!_

_Saaaaaaaansa?_

_*Insert cursing here*_

_Be brave and say what you want to say! :P_

_Be brave and say what you’re sad about ;D_

_Touché…_

_Come on. You can do it! I believe in you!_

_I…_

_Good start! :P_

_I miss seeing you. There._

Sansa doesn’t reply and Margaery clenches her teeth. See, she’s revealed too much too soon, and it’s way too dangerous. Loras was right, she’s very scared about getting hurt… for a reason! But then her phone starts ringing and that sudden weight on her chest is lift again. 

“Hi?” 

“Is tomorrow too soon to meet?” 

She laughs. “Having withdrawal symptoms, too?” 

“Definitely. I’m socially awkward, Margs. You need to know that if… well, if this is going to be something.” 

“Socially awkward? Explain.” 

“Sometimes I won’t do or say something fearing that I’ll ruin whatever there is to ruin.” There’s a pause. “Because it has happened before, you know?” 

Margaery smiles. It’s so endearing. 

“And… Is there something that you’d say or do right now, if you weren’t feeling socially awkward?”

“Maybe.” 

“Care to share?” 

“Okay. But only because you were brave before too!” 

“I got good karma, I see!” 

“So, what I would ask if I was a normal person who didn’t feel so self-conscious is… Are you doing anything important right now?” 

Margaery’s grin feels as big as the car she’s in. “No. No, I’m not.” 

 

And _that’s_ how Margaery ends up meeting Lady on a wednesday evening.


	12. Day 12

Sansa doesn’t arrive her usual fifteen minutes early to the library. She’s exactly on time, which makes her a bit anxious. She’s not used to being almost-late. The thing is, when she woke up that morning she was feeling so tired that she pressed the snooze button on her phone instead of getting up… not once but twice. So she woke up 20 minutes later and she’s feeling quite tired, at least compared to how she normally feels. But it’s all good, she’s tired for a reason and she would’t have it any other way. 

Last night she ended up on the bench of a park, near her place, talking to Margaery for a few amazing hours. Lady was the happiest dog ever because Margaery kept throwing her a ball, scratching her belly… and basically spoiling her with lots of attention. Both of them were delighted, dog and girl (and Sansa, of course). Besides playing with Lady, they exchanged stories, asked questions and they had, in general, a great time… until they started to freeze (well, technically Margaery did… Sansa was alright) and they called it a day. Or a night. So she doesn’t care that now she’s going to be yawning for the rest of the morning. It’s definitely worth it. Because she couldn’t be happier with how things are going. 

Until she gets to her desk, where Jeyne waiting there for her. She frowns. That’s not how she wants to start the morning. 

“How many times do I have to apologize?” Jeyne asks. 

“I don’t know. But keep doing it and I’ll tell you when to stop.” Bitch, please. 

Jeyne doesn’t say anything for a few seconds and Sansa knows that she’s debating whether she should be annoyed, because Sansa’s overreacting in her opinion, or if she should keep being sorry because what she did was not cool. The latter wins, o so it seems. 

“I’m sorry, Sansa. I shouldn’t have googled her and I shouldn’t have told you that I did it. It was not cool.” 

“Okay. Good.” 

Jeyne gives her a tentative smile. “So how are things between the two of you? Did you keep talking to her?” 

Oh, right. That’s the moment when Sansa realizes that she hasn’t really talked to Jayne since the googling happened, and so her friend doesn’t have a clue about anything that has happened since. Not that she’s met her, not that they’re… what? more or less dating? and not that they have most definitely kissed. 

“I did.” She says. “And we’ve met a few times.” 

“What?” She notices the hurt on Jeyne’s eyes but she couldn’t care less (okay, she does care… but she brought it on herself!) 

“She showed up here on Saturday. And then I saw her on Sunday and since that we’ve had a date and stuff.” She shrugs, pretending that it’s not a big deal. 

“And… did she tell you about her family?” 

“That she’s working for her grandmother? Probably the next mayor of King’s Landing? Yes, she’s told me. And I knew about the Tyrell’s vineyards before so… I don’t know. The surname was the only thing missing, Jayne. But in the end it doesn’t change anything, not really.” 

“It doesn’t? I’d be freaked out if I started dating someone that… famous.” 

It’s a recurring feeling, that’s the truth. Because it’s kind of daunting to think that the Tyrell are that important and that Margaery might just have a job at the bottom of the ladder for the moment (or well, more like in the middle of the ladder), but she’s going to be a big deal someday, Sansa just knows it. It’s in her blood, and she knows that Margaery will succeed in whatever it is that she chooses to be or do; so it is a little scary, but nothing that she can’t handle… right? 

“She came home last night. I mean, not home-home… she just came along with Lady and me in our daily walk.” 

“Wait, Margaery Tyrell helped you walk your dog?” 

“She didn’t help me.” Sansa rolls her eyes. “She kept me company. There’s a difference, come on.” 

“And… what does Lady think of all this?” 

“That was the best part! She was super into her, which makes the two of us. I was expecting a bit of growling and stuff, like she used to do with previous exes… but gods, Margaery could even charm my dog. That’s just who she is.” 

Jeyne laughs and Sansa does it with her too. She’s missed her friend, she’s glad to have someone to discuss these things. She’s missed how easy everything is… even the forgiving part. 

“And… has something happened?” 

It’s confession time! 

“We might have kissed.” She grins .

“WHAT!?” 

“Shh! We’re in a library, gods.” 

“Tell me everything. Now. Gee, Sansa. How could you keep this to yourself!?” 

Now that she’s back talking to Jeyne… she also asks herself that same question. How could she? 

 

Receiving a call from her sister in the middle of the day, well, that’s quite unusual. So she answers promptly, gesturing Jeyne that she’ll go for a minute, even though she’s not supposed to take a break for another forty minutes. 

“I hate myself for this thing I’m going to do.” Arya tells her the moment she picks up the phone. “But if I don’t, ugh, I don’t even know.” 

“Wait, what have I missed?” Sansa frowns, confused.

“I want you to get me that idiot’s number.” 

Sansa has to cover her mouth so she doesn’t laugh. Oh boy. No. This can’t be happening. It’s too good to be true. Priceless, even. 

“Sansa?” 

“Sorry, the reception’s terrible. What did you say?”

“That I want you to get me Gen— wait a moment!” 

That’s it, she can’t help it anymore and she starts laughing.

“You’re the worst, Sansa.” 

“No. I’m the one who’s going to get you the boy’s number, so a bit of respect, please.” 

That makes Arya shut up. Good. It’s good to have some leverage. Sansa smiles smugly, even though Arya can’t see her. 

“I’ll ask Margaery later, then.” 

“There’s no rush, you know? I was just letting you know. I have a few things I’d like to discuss.” 

Arya tries to make her believe that it’s not that big of a deal, that she doesn’t care that much if she asks right away or not… but it’s all pretend, obviously. And that’s what makes it so hilarious to Sansa. She’s never been in that position before. Arya, being the lovable weirdo that she is, never asked for boy-related advice (she’s always dealt with her own issues in her own way)… so this is just a great opportunity that she can’t pass. 

After she’s done with the call, she checks the time on her phone and wonders if Margaery’s still at work or if she’s having lunch. If she is working… will it bother her if she calls? She just can’t wait to share the news of her sister’s interest in Gendry. 

The phone rings but there’s no answer, so she leaves it back on the table and sighs. Patience is a virtue or so they say, so she’ll have to exercise it. And she can keep tapping her fingers on the table while doing it. 

Thankfully for her (she was going crazy) her phone rings two minutes later. 

“Hey!” 

“Sorry I didn’t pick up, I was talking to the campaign manager about some issues and… yeah, nothing interesting.” 

“Oh, don’t worry. I don’t want to bother you. Do you have time now or…?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m back in my office.” 

“Is Gendry there?” 

There’s a pause, and somehow Sansa can sense that Margaery’s smiling. “No, he’s not. What do you have in mind, Sans?” 

“Oh, gods.” She’s blushing, isn’t she? At least Margaery can’t see her.

The other girl laughs. 

“Yeah, yeah… I’m alone because Gendry’s decided to ditch me for the day.” She says, sounding bored. “He’s helping someone do something.” 

“Wow. All those details!” Sansa laughs. “Hopefully you didn’t sign a confidentiality agreement.” 

“I know, right?” 

“Anyway. My sister just called.” 

“Okay… What am I supposed to do with that piece of information?” 

“Ha ha.” Sansa rolls her eyes. “But seriously. You’ll never guess what she wanted from me.” 

“Surprise me.” 

“She wants Gendry’s number.” 

Margaery starts laughing, and for a bit that’s all she does. Sansa knows the feeling. 

“Are you kidding me?” She says, finally. 

“My thoughts exactly.” 

“I knew it! I knew it, Sansa! I knew I saw something the other day. So much pretended hate…!” She’s having a blast and Sansa laughs with her. “Oh, this is so great. He’s been talking about Arya too, so I guess the interest’s mutual.” 

“Really?” 

“Yup. He’s been acting all offended and stuff… except that now he’s asking me questions like… “Do you think Arya would like this or that?”, it’s really fun to watch. We must do something!” 

“They’d be great together… or they’d end up killing each other with words.” 

“Either way, it’s going to be worth watching. When is Arya coming back?” 

“I don’t know. But I bet I can make her visit soon… I’ll drop Gendry’s name a few times… we’ll see how she reacts.” 

A conversation about matchmaking later, Sansa is ready to talk about other things. Like… how next day is friday. And, according to what she’s heard… fridays are great days for dates. Margaery’s clever, so she takes the (not so subtle) hint. 

Turns out that she already had something planned, but she won’t tell Sansa, which makes the excitement and frustration grow exponentially at the same time. How very cruel of her. 

“You took me to the lemon cakes, so now it’s my turn.” She explains. 

“Yes, but you knew I was taking you to eat lemon cakes!” Sansa complains (although she knows that she won’t break Margaery’s secrecy). 

“Details. Not relevant.” 

“ _Very_ relevant.” 

“Don’t you have a work to go back to?” 

“What, tired of me already?” 

“Picture me rolling my eyes.” 

“Ha.” 

 

Time flies the rest of the day… and then she’s home and she’s super tired. Still, she has to text Margaery. Otherwise, it’s not a proper day. And since the girl’s busy with some family affair… she couldn’t even invite her to walk Lady again. 

_Hey, Margs._

_Yes?_

_Lady misses you._

_She does, huh?_

_Yup. A lot. She’s sad that she won’t get to see you today._

Subtle, Sansa. 

_Well, tell Lady that I miss her too._

_She says “woof”._

_Whatever that means…_

_It means “I miss you more”._

_Impossible._

_I’m fluent in Lady language, don’t you dare question me._

_No!. Impossible that she misses me more ;D_

_Wouldn’t be so sure._

_Contest time?_

_Tomorrow! Cause now I’m going to sleep. I’m super tired because someone kept me up late last night._

_Shame on them!_

_Riiight? But anyway… ZzzZzz_

_Sleep well, Sans._

_And you have fun!_

_I’ll try… PS: Don’t tell Lady that I miss her mommy more._

_Hee! It’ll be our secret :3_

_(Good use of that emoticon!)_

_(I know, right?!)_

_LOL. Goodnight, S._

_Night, Margs!  
_

She goes to sleep with a smile on her face, feeling incredibly lucky. Not everyone has a person that makes them smile every time they talk. But she does, and it’s wonderful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I've been doing this for 12 days o_o Really, it seems crazy to me. 
> 
> Anyway, I apologize for the mistakes (I'm as tired as Sansa is in this chapter) and I'm off to bed...


	13. Day 13

When she picks up Sansa from her place she’s glad that she’s a bit far away so she can recover from the shock that is seeing her like that. It’s not that she looks better than other times, because she’s always looked gorgeous to Margaery, no matter what look she was sporting, she just wasn’t expecting her so… dolled up. It’s different. 

“Wow.” She says when Sansa reaches the car. 

“Wow yourself!” Sansa looks as shocked as she does. 

Margaery laughs, it’s a pleasant reaction given the fact that she spent more time than she would like to admit looking for an outfit for the date. Ah, the stress of the first dates. 

“You look great…” She says, closing the final distance. “As usual.” 

And then she’s kissing Sansa again, something that she’s missed doing. It’s brief. Briefer than she wants it to be, but it sounds a bit inappropriate to start their date making out against her car, no matter how tempting the thought is. Besides, if she’s lucky… there’ll be way more dates in which to explore that idea. 

“Are you ready?” She asks, still thinking about how new yet familiar the feeling of kissing Sansa is. 

She nods and smiles. “Where are you taking me?” 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” Margaery smirks and wiggles her eyebrows. 

Sansa laughs at her. “Silly.” 

“Admit it, tho, you wouldn’t have it any other way…” 

“Someone’s feeling good about herself!” 

“Well, if I don’t like myself… how am I supposed to get you to do it?” She winks at Sansa and starts the car. She’s only partly joking, but she’s always believed in that, how one needs 

Sansa stays quiet for a bit, smiling, but quiet. Margaery feels her staring, she almost can feel it burning her skin (like the sun-kind-of-burn, not the oh-gods-fire-fire! kind). 

“I’ve been thinking all week where to take you.” Margaery starts saying as she drives. “Trying to find a good spot. Not too cliché, not too obscure… I wanted something meaningful for both of us, but then I realized that we haven’t really known each other for so long, so the options were quite limited.” 

Sansa laughs. “Seems like you’ve been really thinking about this.” 

“I did! I wanted to be impressive.” 

“Okay, you’ve got my attention and my curiosity.”

“You know what? I’m curious too.” 

“What do you mean?” 

“I couldn’t figure out where to take you because I wanted the place to be our place. Not the place I took you to. Am I making any sense?” 

“I think I’m starting to understand…” 

Margaery grins. Her big plan is about to be revealed. And so she explains the rest to Sansa. They’re driving downtown and they can either stop when they see somewhere they’d like to go, or they can park the car and then walk around until they find a place they both like. 

“Conditions are, though, that we can’t suggest it if we’ve already been there.” 

“Adventure time?” 

“Exactly.” 

“Sounds… exciting.” 

Sansa grins, and Margaery’s glad that she’s not put off by the idea. She did have plan B though, because that’s how she is. Just in case Sansa wasn’t into finding a place together (or if she thought that Margaery had been lazy). 

“Dornish food.” Sansa says, all of a sudden. 

“What?” 

“Our profiles. Dornish food was a mutual interest, wasn’t it?” 

“It was.” Margaery hums appreciatively. She hadn’t thought of that. Yay, teamwork!

“We should find a dornish place, then!” Sansa sounds super excited and she gets her phone from her pocket. “Can I google?” 

“Why are you even asking?” 

Margaery starts laughing and Sansa hits her arm playfully. She’s about to complain when she feels Sansa’s lips on her shoulder and the words get lost before they have the chance get out of her mouth. She’s wearing a few layers of clothing, so she can’t really feel it… not technically, but she _does_. The things she does to her, gods. 

They decide on a restaurant based solely on the reviews that it has online. Since they met because of an app, it sounded appropriate to them that it would be another app the one choosing their restaurant. Turns out Stepstones (that’s how the restaurant is called) is not half bad. Sure, it’s not fancy or anything, not from the outside at least, but they know better than to judge by the looks of something. 

The food is amazing, period. Margaery gets teary eyed a few times trying spicy food and Sansa laughs at her. She’s not taking any risks and she’s not trying the hot stuff, to which Margaery says “chicken”. During the meal, they keep exchanging stories, laughing, or just talking about random things. They’ve discovered that they’re really good at the talking part. And since they’re awesome, they’re talking about food while eating it. 

“If lemon cakes didn’t exist…” Sansa pretends to shiver. “I think cheese would be my favorite food ever.” 

Margaery licks some sauce from her thumb and nods. “Cheese is good. I like cheese.”

“And Dornish cheese? Ah-mah-zing.” Sansa holds out her fork. “You have to try this.” 

Margaery shouldn’t get nervous, not for something like that. Sure, they’ve never done it before, but it’s not a big deal. Nope. She’s totally cool with it. (But it _is_ a big deal). She pictures one of those movie-like moments, taking the bite without taking her eyes off Sansa, it’d look sexy… but then she thinks that in real life she’d probably stab herself on the face with the fork, that’s why she decides to look at the cutlery instead of Sansa. 

Cheese and olives mix well, she thinks while tasting the food. “Yum!” 

“I know, right?” Sansa grins. 

They get quiet for a while, just enjoying the company and the food. She’s glad they don’t need to be talking all the time without it being awkward, because she’s been there before and in the end… it’s really exhausting. Apparently they’ve mastered both the conversation and the silent parts. They’re remarkable people (Margaery can’t help but smile at her own thought). 

“Why does it feel like I know you for longer than a couple of weeks?” Sansa asks, breaking the silence at once. 

Margaery frowns a bit. “Maybe we met in a past life.” 

Her sentence is answered with a wrinkling nose by Sansa. “I don’t believe in those things.” 

“That’s too bad. I can picture us back in the old days. Super uncomfortable gowns and all that fancy things.” 

“You think?” 

“Why not?” Margaery shrugs. 

“Our odds wouldn’t look good, then. Being the old days and all that.” 

“We’d manage, I’m sure. We managed here, and what were the chances?” 

The way Sansa bites her lip, it’s like she’s wondering if there could be any truth in her words. When she finally smiles, Margaery knows that she’s now not completely opposed to the idea. 

“Fair enough.” 

“Do you want to get dessert somewhere else?” Margaery asks, casually. 

“Ah! You know the ways to my heart.” 

So that’s a yes. 

 

A couple of hot chocolates later, they’re back walking around the city. There’s something about walking next to Sansa that Margaery finds really appealing. And she usually don’t enjoy walks (she finds those rather boring). Must be the company then, she decides. 

“Your grandmother’s looking at us.” 

Margaery looks to where Sansa’s pointing with her head and she sees a huge poster on the wall from her grandma’s campaign. She laughs awkwardly. 

“It’s creepy, to see the picture of someone related to you all around the city.” 

“Do you think that’ll be you one day?” 

Wow. Loaded question. 

“Who knows?” Margaery replies, vaguely. “I have considered it. But I don’t know yet. Time will tell.” 

“I’d vote for you.” Says Sansa grinning. 

Such a silly (and adorable) thing to say. 

“See, now I have to kiss you.” 

“You’ll see no objections here…” 

Sansa’s not lying. 

They kiss under the watchful eye of grandma T. and the “Growing Strong” on the poster seems like a description of Margaery’s feelings towards the girl who’s tangling her fingers on her hair and dragging her tongue across her bottom lip. 

It’s funny, she thinks once she’s regained a bit of control over her brain, how normal everything is and isn’t, at the same time. She’s going out with the girl she likes, just dinner and a walk around the city (talk about the clichés she was trying to avoid). But despite everything, despite how common it is… it feels important. Like it matters. So they’re not going to change lives, probably. They’re not going to solve the world’s problems by kissing in the middle of the street, nor they’re going to find a miraculous cure to some disease. But it is important. It matters. They matter. 

The world changes one person at a time, right? And they’re already two of them, so… they must be off to a good start.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting a bit later than usual because I'm sick and my muse temporarily left :( I'm sad because this was chapter 13 and it's my favorite number.


	14. Day 14

_I have a party tonight :(_

_Why do you sound so sad about it, Margs?_

_Some guy from work is leaving and I totally forgot that we had that goodbye party today._

_And… you don’t like him?_

_Eh. I’d rather do other things, like… seeing a certain girl._

_N’aww! Well, there’s always tomorrow._

_Sunday?_

_Yes, tomorrow’s Sunday… lol_

_How do you feel about dinner and a movie at my place? You can bring Lady if you want :P_

_It depends… Are you a good cook?_

_Tsk. I’m decent enough… But we can always order take out if you don’t trust my skills!_

_I find your skills quite impressive, at least the ones I know… so I’ll trust you on this too :P_

_;D Good answer!_

 

She’s really not looking forward the party. Olyvar chose to leave and they’re not even close… but Gendry’s going and he’s making her. See, there’s the difference between Olyvar and herself. He had a choice in the matter, she didn’t. 

“I’ll even pick you up.” Gendry offers when he calls her. 

“How is that supposed to convince me?” 

“Because you won’t have to drive! You can drink as much as you want.” 

“But I’ll have to listen to your crappy music…” She says, trying to sound annoying. 

“Why do I even bother with you?” He says, letting out an exasperated sigh. 

“Because you love me.” 

“Be ready at eight thirty.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

“And don’t forget to wear something pretty.” He says laughing. 

“Shut up, jerk.” 

 

She spends the afternoon writing down some ideas for work. She can’t wait to see her grandmother again (she’s too busy with the campaign lately) to share a few of them, because she thinks they could get a lot more coverage if they would manage their online resources better. And since that’s her job… well, she can try to improve it, can’t she? 

Once she’s done with that she goes to buy some groceries for her dinner with Sansa. She doesn’t know what she’ll be in the mood for (nor what Sansa would like to have) so she buys a bit of everything, hoping that they can work something out with those ingredients. And by the time she’s done, she has tu rush home because Gendry will arrive in a little less than an hour and she needs to start getting ready. 

She can feel how different it is from the previous day, there’s no excitement over what she’ll wear because it’s not Sansa she’s going to meet. So yes, she wears something nice… but because it’s a goodbye party, not because she wants to impress a certain someone. 

 

Taking shots is never a good idea. And if someone says it is… they’re lying. And tequila shots? Well, those are some of the worst kind of shots. She’s going to be thirty soon, she should know better. She _knows_ better. Peer pressure, though… It’s clearly a thing and her colleagues insist so much that… why not? She pretends it’s not as bad as it sounds. 

“This won’t end well.” She says to no one in particular, before gulping the liquid. She winces when the tequila burns her throat. “Yeah, I think I’ve had enough.” 

“Come on. One more!” Gendry nudges her playfully. 

Everyone in their group is cheering and asking fore more shots, Olyvar buys a whole bottle and Margaery shakes her head, that’s not a good sign. 

“Just one?” 

“Just one.” 

Lies. All lies. One turns into… how many? She’s lost count. More than three. Definitely more than three. Possibly five. Or maybe that’s too much. How many are too much? Ugh. Margaery’s feeling way too dizzy for her own liking and the alcohol is affecting her brain in funny ways. She can’t think properly, she can’t even count! She can’t coordinate her limbs either, and that’s why she declines going dancing with some of her friends. 

Gendry’s among them, and if she knows him as well as she does, in a few moments he’ll be just swaying on the dance floor. In normal conditions, she’d join him because it’s fun and they are super goofy making up weird moves and faces while dancing She loves him, a lot. And she wishes she could be there with him… But there’s always a next time, and that’s why she waves goodbye and goes to sit at the bar. Maybe things will stop moving then. 

The moment Margaery sits on a stool, she starts panicking because she realizes that she can’t feel her eyebrows anymore. Is that normal? Are they okay? She has to touch them to make sure they’re there. They are, thank gods. Maybe they’re asleep? It’s late and who knows, maybe they were tired. It’d be the logical thing to do. 

What’s her phone doing in her hands? How did it get there? Magic. It must be magic, because she was thinking about texting Sansa… so the phone must have known that she wanted it. Awesome! She has a magic phone. 

_Yo, SAnsa_

There’s no reply, but it does’t surprise her. It’s after midnight and Sansa had no plans… or so she said… so she might be sleeping, like her eyebrows. 

_I miss u_

_Wish you were here w ith meee_

_I also hope thaat your phones on sikent_

_Sinebt_

_Silent!!!_

_Duck this phone_

_… Okay i’m nto even trying anymore_

_Also, can’t feel my eyebrows. You think it’s normal?_

_I’m scared._

_although I think theyre just sleepin cuz its’ late_

 

She’s about to type another text when someone sits next to her. 

“You’re Margaery, right?” 

She turns and sees a girl looking at her. She wants to be annoyed at the interruption, but the girl’s pretty to look at. 

“Depends on who’s asking.” She feels like her tongue won’t behave like she wants it to behave. 

The girl smiles coyly. “You get coffee from the place where I work.” 

“Oh! That’s right. I know you.” She vaguely remembers the girl in front of her, but she’s quite different without the yellow apron and stuff… so she tells her. “I almost didn’t recognize you without the yellow apron.” 

The girl laughs, and Margaery is surprised because she wasn’t trying to be funny. 

“What are you doing here, all alone?” 

“Not alone. Friends there.” Margaery points at her dancing friends. Looks like they’re having a great time. 

“Why aren’t you with them?” 

“I’m texting.” She shows the girl her phone, as if it’d explain everything. 

“Doesn’t sound like a lot of fun.” 

“Well, that’s because you don’t know Sansa.” Margaery smiles. “She’s funny, super funny.” 

She wonders why the change in the girl’s expression. Is she jealous because Sansa’s funny? She should be. Sansa’s more interesting than her. And prettier, but that’s not the point. 

“Too bad she’s not here.” 

“Too bad indeed.” Says Margaery, who can’t stop thinking about how different the party would be if Sansa was there with her. 

Is the girl’s stool closer than it was a moment before? No. Margaery must be imagining things. Except that it feels a lot like flirting. 

“If you’re bored, I can keep you company.” 

She’s totally flirting. Gee, who’s this girl? 

“I’m not, but feel free to do whatever you want to do.” 

_I think a girl’s flirting with me, Sansa. She’s relentless, gods. Waht’s happening?!?!_

“What’s so interesting on your phone?” 

“Candy Crush.” She says, hoping that even if she’s had too many tequilas she can still say something sarcastic

“You like sweet things, Margaery?” 

That can’t be happening. Margaery looks at the girl and starts laughing. She just can’t believe she just asked that question out loud. Who says that? Not even her, who’s super drunk, would ask a question like that! 

“Look, I don’t know what you’re hoping from this conversation here… but unless it is to keep talking like we’re doing, you won’t get it from me.” 

The girl looks a bit hurt and Margaery feels kind of bad. She wasn’t trying to be harsh, she just wasn’t interested and the girl’s coming on too strong. It’s better to tell her than to lead her on, right? She thinks so. 

“Just trying to be nice, gods.” 

Margaery groans when she sees the girl get up and walk away. Damn it. Why does she feel bad now? 

“Hey, hey! I’m sorry.” 

The girl stops and turns, and Margaery notices the knowing smile on her face. 

“What’s your name?” 

“Ros.” 

“So, Ros, forgive my drunk self. I didn’t mean to be rude.” She says. “But I did mean what I said.” 

 

Gendry shows up a bit later and saves Margaery from drinking yet another shot of something with a name that she can’t even pronounce. 

“Hey, you.” 

“Hey!” 

“This is Gendry. I love him.” She says to Ros. “He’s the best friend that has ever existed, aren’t you, G?” 

He laughs. Again, why do they keep laughing at her? She’s not being funny, she’s being serious! “I think it’s time to go home, you lightweight.” 

“I can take her, later.” Ros says. 

“Yeah, G. Let’s keep the party going.” 

He looks annoyed. And Margaery doesn’t know if he looks more pissed of at her or at Ros. But… why would he be mad at Ros? The night doesn’t make any sense. 

“Come on, Margaery. Do it for me, the best friend that has ever existed… yeah?” 

“Okay, funsucker!” 

She ends up waving at Ros because Gendry’s dragging her towards their colleagues, who are on their way to the exit. She tries to complain, but she’s too busy putting one foot in front of the other without tripping.

When Margaery gets to the outside of the club, without incidents, she gets really proud of herself. She wishes that someone could be in her brain right now… they’d notice how big of a deal that was. Stupid high heels. Sansa is tall. Sansa wouldn’t need high heels. She envies Sansa. No. She likes Sansa. A lot. She needs to tell her. 

 

_Kissing was awesome._

“What are you doing?” Asks Gendry. 

“Texting Sansa.” She replies, simply. 

“Stop that. Immediately.” He says, alarmed. 

“Kay, just let me finish…” 

“No!” Gendry takes the phone from her hands. “No more drunk texting! Are you crazy?” 

She pouts, thinking how she was about to send a really nice message… but Gendry starts talking about something else and she gets distracted. 

Meanwhile, her unsent texts remains on the screen for a few more seconds until it fades to black. 

_I meant kissing you. Not other people (ewwww) Kissing you is the besttttt!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea what happened to this chapter. I'm certain I clicked on "post" last night and now I see that it was saved as a draft? Weird!!! Sorry :/


	15. Day 15

Fuck. Fuck everything. She doesn’t curse, not normally, but when you wake up and you find a bunch of drunk texts from the girl you like, which are super cute and hilarious in a way… only to read about how there’s some other girl flirting with her and it ends with a “kissing was awesome”… well, it’s not a good way of starting the day. At all.

She clenches her jaw. She’s not going to cry. Nope. She’s going to pretend that she’s okay with that. They haven’t talked about being “exclusive”, so she can’t be angry, or sad, or really disappointed or… Okay, Sansa. Stop. Stop now. What does a girl do in that situation? She calls her best friend. That’s a no brainer. And she’s glad that Jeyne’s up and about, because otherwise she would have had to call Arya and she doesn’t want to because she’s going to be harsh with Margaery, not really what she needs in that moment. 

“It’s probably nothing.” Jeyne says, after she’s explained everything to her. 

“She says “ _Kissing was awesome _” after telling me about this girl who’s flirting with her.” Says Sansa, repeating the words from the text. “She’s kissed another person, Jeyne!”__

__“She was drunk! You don’t know what she meant… maybe she was talking about… kissing in general? Or maybe they were playing spin the bottle or something.”_ _

__“Sure, because people our age play that all the time, don’t we?”_ _

__She understands that Jeyne’s trying to look for a bright side, or a less-bad side. But she doesn’t feel better by her reassurance that it’s “probably nothing”. If Margaery’s kissed another girl while they’ve been dating, well, that’s a bit something for her! It doesn’t matter if they didn’t talk about being exclusive, it hurts just the same._ _

__

__She’s making lunch when her phone rings. Sansa feels her stomach clench, hoping and dreading that the call is from Margaery._ _

__It is her. She takes a deep breath and answers._ _

__“Hey.”_ _

__“Good morning… or… almost good afternoon.”_ _

__“How are you?” She forces herself to ask, because she’s not really in the mood for talking to her right now._ _

__“You know. Just woke up… I’m too old for parties, really.” Margaery laughs._ _

__Sansa frowns. She doesn’t know what to say. Is Margaery pretending that nothing happened? Or… does she think it’s okay?_ _

__“Hey, sorry about the drunk texting. Gendry ended up taking the phone from me when he discovered that I had been texting you.”_ _

__“Sorry about what part?”_ _

__“What?” She sounds confused, which confuses Sansa a little bit too. She wasn’t expecting her to play dumb… “I meant I’m sorry about the texting. I hope I didn’t wake you up or anything…”_ _

__“Yeah, no. You didn’t.”_ _

__Silence._ _

__“Okay. What’s wrong, Sansa? Is everything okay?”_ _

__Sansa bites her lip. How can she start telling her that she’s hurt? That she’s hurt because now there’s a chance that she’s not the only girl in Margaery’s life and that’s something that she hadn’t even considered before._ _

__“This isn’t a conversation that should be had on the phone.” She says, finally._ _

__“Okay…”_ _

__“Just… can I see you after lunch?”_ _

__“Sure.” Margaery doesn’t sound happy, like she did when they started talking._ _

__

__When Margaery enters the café, Sansa can’t help but notice that it’s the crappiest she’s seen her look, and still she’s as gorgeous as ever._ _

__“Hey.” She reaches the table and sits in front of Sansa. She didn’t try to kiss her, or hug her or anything. She doesn’t know if it’s good or bad. Well, it must be bad, because Margaery’s expression is somber._ _

__“Hey yourself.”_ _

__Awkward. She’s never felt as awkward with Margaery as she’s feeling in that moment. Gods, it’s not a good start for the conversation._ _

__“Before you start, I need to say something.”_ _

__Sansa shrugs. “Sure, go ahead.”_ _

__“I was kind of weirded out by our conversation earlier, so I checked the messages I sent you and now I understand. It looks bad, yes… And I’m not talking about the eyebrows incident. Nor the grammar and spelling, gods.”_ _

__“It looks bad? Yes, yes it does, Margaery.”_ _

__“The short explanation is this, I didn’t kiss anyone.”_ _

__“You didn’t?”_ _

__“Gods, no.” Margaery looks as disgusted by the idea as Sansa. “I was talking about you in that last text, and I remember writing a following one where it was more clear than that… but well, I guess that was when Gendry decided that I had texted enough. Bad timing, really.”_ _

__Sansa bites her lip. She feels relieved, because… why shouldn’t she trust Margaery? But at the same time, there’s still leftover feelings from all the morning and part of the afternoon, and she can’t get rid of those that easily._ _

__Besides, it’s bigger than that. Now it’s not only about how she thought that Margaery had kissed someone else, but about how maybe she wanted to do it, and Sansa didn’t know about it._ _

__“But you know, if you want to kiss other girls… that’s fine. You should just tell me. Before. Or, I don’t know, now.”_ _

__Sansa’s heart is beating so fast, waiting for an answer._ _

__“What? I don’t want to kiss other girls, Sansa.”_ _

__“I don’t know what you want, I’m just saying that if you want… you can.”_ _

__“But I’m telling you I don’t want to!” Now she’s the one who looks pissed off. “Wait, do _you_? Is that what this is about?” _ _

__“No!” Sansa frowns. Wow, that took a weird turn._ _

__“Then I don’t get it. Why are you even suggesting it?”_ _

___Because it’ll hurt less when you leave._ _ _

__“I don’t know.”_ _

__“You do know, though. So if you’re going to tell me that I’m free to go kissing girls, then I want a explanation.”_ _

__“I don’t want to get hurt.” She says, finally. It’s the closest she’ll get to the truth in that moment._ _

__Margaery stares at her for a few seconds before she leans back on her chair again._ _

__“Good.” Her voice is back to normal Margaery, not pissy Margaery, and for that she’s glad. “Good, because I don’t want to hurt you. This is stupid! I mean, not that we’re talking about this, nor the fact that you’re not happy with me right now… it’s stupid that we’re arguing about something’s that not an issue. Look, I don’t want to start kissing anyone that’s not you. I don’t know if you’re ready to think in terms of… of being together exclusively, or whatever. But I’m telling you here and now, if you want to go out with other people, that’s on you. But I don’t. I just want you.”_ _

___She just wants me_. And there goes Sansa’s willpower. _ _

__“How do you do this?” She asks out loud, even though it was kind of an inner thought._ _

__“Do what?”_ _

__“Make me go from being kind of pissed off to completely melting over you and your words. Damn you and your politician skills.”_ _

__She can see in Margaery’s expression that she’s also relieved._ _

__“Ah, so it worked?”_ _

__“It might.”_ _

__Margaery gets up and moves a bit closer to Sansa, who starts feeling nervous with the anticipation, but the good kind of nervous._ _

__“Might? Hmmm. Then I guess I’ll have to be a little more persuasive… or convincing.”_ _

__“You do that, yes.”_ _

__Sansa’s already laughing when Margaery closes the little space between them and kisses her softly, a kiss that tastes like promises, like future._ _

__“Let’s get out of here.” Margaery says. “Will Lady be okay if I steal you for the rest of the evening?”_ _

__Like if she was trying to make a point, she kisses her again. And when her hand caresses Sansa’s neck it sends shivers through her._ _

__“Yeah, she won’t mind.”_ _

__When Margaery helps Sansa to get up from the chair, she doesn’t let go of her hand, not even after Sansa’s up. They walk out of the bar holding hands. Now, that’s a first._ _

__

__“What movie are we watching?”_ _

__Margaery grins from the kitchen, where she’s getting some ice cream in bowls. “I cooked, you choose.”_ _

__“That sounds unfair to you, doing all the work and then no reward!”_ _

__“Having you here is enough reward.”_ _

__Sansa looks at her and starts laughing. “Oh my gods, Margs. Are you kidding me? Where did you hear that?”_ _

__“I was trying to be nice! Leave me alone.”_ _

__Sansa keeps laughing while she gets to the shelve where Margaery keeps the movies. After a while, she turns to Margaery._ _

__“You have way more movies about white walkers than I would have imagined.”_ _

__“What?” Sh shrugs. “They’re fun.”_ _

__“Your’s is a scary definition of fun.”_ _

__Margaery leaves the two bowls of ice cream on the coffee table and joins Sansa. She kisses her shoulder and hugs her arm._ _

__“Let’s watch something long. Like… the Lord of the Rings long. The whole trilogy.”_ _

__“If I didn’t know better, I’d think that you’re trying to get me to stay over, Margaery Tyrell.”_ _

__“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Sansa Stark.”_ _

__

__But she knew. Or so it seems, since both of them start dozing off to The Hunger Games and when Sansa starts moving and groaning because she should get going, Margaery doesn’t cooperate._ _

__“Stay…” she mumbles. “It’s late.”_ _

__Maybe it’s not a good idea, she thinks. She has a morning shift the next day… but at the same time, she doesn’t have the strength to leave either. And truth be told, Margaery’s couch is one of the comfiest things she’s ever been on, and the fact that the owner of said sofa is almost sleep in her arms… well, that doesn’t help the argument in favor of going back home._ _

__“Stay.” Margaery repeats, kissing her neck, which happens to be the closest thing that she has._ _

__Sansa ends up doing the only thing she can think of in that moment, which is closing her eyes and cuddling Margaery some more. She’ll regret it tomorrow. O not._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to our normal schedule... :)


	16. Day 16

Margaery whispers “stop” to her pegasus, making him freeze in mid-flight. He hovers in place, like the good pegasus he is. She heard something. Something that she can’t be hearing, because her old apartment is gone and she now lives in the clouds with her pegasus (or wait, is it pegasi in plural?) and her unicorn friends. But… it’s definitely how the lock of her old apartment sounded back in the day, she’d recognize that sound anywhere. 

“Isn’t that strange, P.?” she asks her mount. Her pegasus neighs in response and she pats his neck. “Yeah, I thought so too.” 

Strange indeed. 

Then her eyes open, barely though, and it takes Margaery a few seconds to realize that she was in fact dreaming and that she doesn’t have a house in the clouds. Nor a pegasus, for that matter. Now _that’s_ disappointing. 

Everything happens at once. All of a sudden, without a warning (or maybe the warning had been the sound of the lock). She notices the weight on her chest the moment that she remembers, or even better, not remembers how Sansa left the previous night (because she didn’t). And in the same instant that she realizes that Sansa’s sleeping next to her, or on her, she realizes as well that if the door of her apartment opened like she heard… that can only mean one thing and one thing only. 

“Marg, I swear! I woke up for you the other day, if you’re not up yet I’m going to ki—“ 

They see each other at the same time, Margaery clenches her jaw and her fists, like that’s going to prevent Sansa from waking up because of Loras’ yelling. But it’s too late, she moves and opens her eyes, letting out tiny groans of annoyance. _Sorry, Sansa…_ she thinks, hoping that the girl feels it.

“Well, well…” Loras looks at the scene in front of him, visibly amused. “What do we have here?” 

Margaery has first class tickets to see how Sansa’s face goes from “I just woke up” to “what in the seven hells is going on?” in just about two seconds. She sits up, alarmed, and Margaery instantly misses her body next to hers. _Come back here, let’s ignore my stupid brother._

“Good morning!” He’s grinning, he’s grinning like the idiot he is. 

“I guess.” Margaery glares at him. 

“I… hi.” Sansa looks at Loras like she’s seeing a ghost. 

“Sansa… this is Loras.” She sighs. “My well-timed brother.” 

She hears Sansa mutter an “oh gods” before she gets up and shakes his hand, and it’s kind of awkward, but she’s so endearing. 

“Nice to finally meet you, Sansa.” He says. “Heard a lot about you.” 

“Yes…” She says, and then she winces as she realizes what she just said. “I mean. Same… It’s nice to finally meet you, too.” 

“What are you doing here?” Margaery asks, while Sansa retreats. 

“I texted you.” He answers, simply. “I wanted breakfast.” 

Margaery retrieves her phone from between the blankets and sees that he did text. In fact, he texted her a few times. 

_Breakfast at your place? Need to talk._

_Margaery! Get your ass up and make me breakfast! I’m getting coffee._

_No reply? K. I’m going to your place no matter what. I have a key so… ha!_

“Well, obviously I didn’t see it.” 

He smiles, smugly. “Obviously.” 

Sansa stands by her side, looking at them like she’s watching a tennis match. Margaery can sense how uncomfortable she’s feeling and she understands, because really, that’s not the most ideal way of meeting the family of anyone. Specially not the girl you’re dating. 

“I only brought two coffees, though!” Loras looks at the bag in his hands. “Had I known…” 

“Oh! No, no… I should leave. I mean, it’s late. I—” 

“You know you can stay, right?” Margaery reaches to take Sansa’s hand, who looks like she’s about to start freaking out, but the other girl backs away. 

“No, yeah, but I do. Lady and all… yeah. I’ll— I’ll talk to you later, okay?” 

Margaery can only stare while Sansa gets all of her things. In that moment she looks less like Sansa and more like the Flash. She leaves waving at them and muttering another “nice to meet you, Loras”, before fleeing the scene. Margaery wants to pout and say “no kiss?”… she’s been awake for less than five minutes and trouble has found her already. 

Loras snorts, “I scared your girlfriend.” 

“Thank you for that.” She glares at him.

She can’t blame him, though. She should have read that message, had she been sleeping in her own room she would have heard the alarm… But she didn’t because they slept on the couch, which was kind of stupid since her bed is way more comfortable than the couch and— oh well, who cares now? It’s too late. Her thoughts are interrupted when she realizes that Loras deserves her full attention, since he’s standing in front of her and all. They are always there for each other, that’s who they are, that’s how they work. She’ll talk to Sansa later. Besides, she’s probably in a rush to get home and to her work in time. 

“I need a shower…” she says, sounding defeated. “Be back in five…” 

“I’ll make something to eat.” 

 

While in the shower, she thinks about how that was not how she had expected her first morning with Sansa to go. She had hoped for a few kisses before getting up, a nice breakfast… and well, if she kept fantasizing, maybe they would have had to shower together because it was getting late. But now all of that was and would be a fantasy. No kisses, no breakfast, and certainly not showering with Sansa. Ugh. 

By the time she’s ready, Loras has the coffee and some toasts on the table. She joins him and gets one piece of bread from the tiny pile. 

“What did you want to talk about?” She says before giving a long gulp to her drink. 

“Your birthday.” 

“Right.” Just when she thought that her morning couldn’t get any worse…

“You’re turning thirty and you know us Tyrell. We’re going to make a big deal out of it.” 

She sighs. “You could surprise me for once, let me have a nice peaceful and quiet birthday.” 

“So not happening.” Loras rolls his eyes. “But anyway, would you be okay celebrating it at grandma’s place?” 

Oh, no. Not grandma’s place. That means trouble. “Too big, Loras.” 

“Well.” He shrugs. “You know mom and dad. And grandma. They’ve been talking about your birthday for weeks.” 

“And why is this the first time I’m hearing about it?” 

“Because they wanted to throw a surprise party for you. But you have Sansa now, so I - being the awesome brother that I am - figured that it wouldn’t work because you most likely want to spend time with her and not with your extravagant family.” 

Oh, he’s right about that last one. She does want to spend her birthday with Sansa… she can’t think of a better way. Specially not if her family’s idea of celebrating means throwing a big party in her honor. Then something clicks in her brain. 

“Wait, wait…” She squints at him. “Tell me you didn’t say anything about Sansa to them.” 

Loras makes a face and Margaery whimpers. She can’t believe him. Worst morning ever? Check. 

“I had to!” He apologizes. “They were getting super annoying about the whole thing! It was that or… a surprise party that you wouldn’t attend!” 

“Oh my gods, Loras. What did they say? And what did _you_ say?!” 

“Just… you know. That you were seeing someone now. That you probably needed to be informed of the plans because you might have a different idea for your birthday…” 

“That’s all?” She can sense it. “ _Loras_. Is that all?” 

“That and…” He smiles apologetically. “Mom wants to meet her before the party. Thursday night. Dinner at mom and dad’s.” 

She huffs. 

“I’m going to kill you and feed you to the wolves. Or better yet, I’ll feed you to them while you’re still alive.” Margaery glares at him. “It’s probably a good thing you decided to come here, since it’d be one of the first places they’d look for clues about your disappearance.” 

“Come on, it won’t be that bad. Grandma and dad are going to be away, something about the vineyards or whatever. So it’s just mom, you, Sansa and me.” 

Not that bad? Not that bad?! Margaery curses internally because how the hell is she going to bring that up? “Hey Sansa, it’s my birthday this weekend, but my mother wants to meet you first, so… yay!”. 

“You owe me. You owe me big time. Like, if I ever have kids, I deserve carte blanche to make you babysit whenever I feel like it for the first eighteen years.” 

He laughs. He laughs at her misery. Shame on him, really. Shame on him. 

 

_Hey, Sans. Got home safely?_

_Yup! All good._

_Embarrassed?_

_Nooooooo. I mean, who would be embarrassed by something like that? Gee, Margs! :P_

Margaery hums to herself. It’s one of those moments where she doesn’t know if Sansa’s being sarcastic in a good way or in a bad way. Since she has ten minutes before going to work, she calls her. Some things are better solved talking instead of typing. 

Sansa answers the phone promptly. 

“Hey. You okay?” 

“Yeah, I mean… I probably won’t want to meet your brother ever again, but other than that…” Sansa laughs softly and Margaery smiles, relieved. 

“I’ll make sure you two meet again under better circumstances.” 

“It’s okay, really, don’t go out of your way to do it. Maybe in a few months. Or a few years.”

“Or at our wedding.” She suggests. 

“ _Definitely_ at our wedding.” 

They both laugh and Margaery feels really happy that there are no bad feelings because of her brother. Although the happiness only lasts momentarily, since she remembers that if everything goes as other people planned, they’ll have to meet way sooner than that. And maybe it’s a good moment to bring up a different question. 

“What about this saturday?” 

“I thought we agreed on the wedding day? But really, what about this saturday?” 

“It’s my birthday. November 22nd. Happens every year, according to my parents.” 

“Right! Right… I didn’t forget about it, not at all.” Sansa sighs. “I did. I’m the worst, I’m so sorry, Margs!” 

She laughs. “It’s okay, Sansa. I wasn’t expecting you to remember. I’m just saying, it’s my birthday and I want you there with me… if you do too.” 

“And your birthday will involve Loras, won’t it?” 

“Yes, yes it will.” 

“And… more family members?” 

“Probably.” Definitely. 

“Oh gods.” 

“Well, we’re not that bad. We can all agree that you got the best one out of us Tyrell, yes, but they’re okay too. Pretty decent… for not being me, I mean.” 

“Not only I got _the_ best, I also got _the_ most modest one, too! Oh, I’m such a lucky girl.” 

“You are, my dear, you are.” 

It’s thanks to conversations like that, that Margaery knows Sansa’s the real deal. She doesn’t feel like her words will be mistaken, that she’ll think she’s bragging when she’s only joking. No, Sansa knows better than that. 

“Hey, have you talked to your sister yet? You should invite her over on saturday. That way you can have some support at the party and I can tell Gendry to come, too!” 

“Support? Why would I need support in a party? What kind of party is it, Margaery?” 

“Okay. So… I have to tell you a few things about my family. And that is how they like to go overboard with things. Like birthdays. And… gatherings in general. So let’s talk about saturday. Oh. And thursday, too.”

“Wait, what about thursday!?” 

So she knows that Sansa’s the real deal. Margaery just hopes that she doesn’t think that it’s too much trouble to date her plus all the baggage she carries, also known as her family. 

Long day ahead… and of course, it had to be a monday.


	17. Day 17

“Hey, J.” Sansa approaches her friend’s desk. “Do you have ten minutes?” 

“Sure. Coffee?” 

“Please.” 

That easy. 

“I really hate our schedules lately…” Jeyne complains as she goes to an empty table at the library’s café. Sansa can’t help but agree, they barely work together lately, which is a real shame. The long hours seem shorter in each other’s company. Even when they’re not in the same department, they always find ways to go and find each other. 

“What happened with the whole kissing other girls thing? I’ve been dying to know.” 

“Wha— oh! That. Yeah, it was nothing. She was talking about us but her friend took the phone from her, she couldn’t keep texting and she forgot to tell me later because, well, she was drunk.” 

“And you believe her?” 

Sansa frowns at the comment. Of course she does. Why shouldn’t she? Yes, they’ve just started dating but… she trusts her. She trusts her because she has no reason not to. 

“I’m not saying anything about it! I just wanted to know if you still had suspicions or…” 

“No, no… I really don’t, because she pretty much told me that if I want to kiss other girls, then it’s my choice. But she just wants me.” 

Jeyne grins. “She sounds like a clever girl. I hope she realizes how lucky she is.” 

Sansa rolls her eyes. “Look, I’m not going to love you more for saying things like that.” 

“Shush, you idiot.” 

Sansa laughs. 

“So, it’s Margaery’s birthday on Friday.” 

“Really? How old is she?” 

“Thirty on saturday.” 

Jeyne stifles a laugh. 

“Hey! I resent that.” 

“Well you’re old too so… you should.” 

“I’m not bothering with you.” 

Ever since Jeyne found out she’s a couple of years younger than Sansa, she’s always using whatever opportunity she has to remind her how “ancient” she is.

“What should I get her?” 

Jeyne answers promptly. “You, with nothing but a bow.” 

Sansa glares at her. “Be serious.” 

“Oh, I am.” Jeyne laughs and Sansa sighs. “The bow should be green, it’ll match your hair and it’ll be wonderful.”

“If only it was that easy!”

“I don’t see why it shouldn’t be that easy. I bet she’ll be delighted.” 

“Please, let’s stop talking about this.” 

“But you waaaant her.”

“Jeyne.” 

“And she _only_ wants you.” She wriggles her eyebrows and Sansa shows her best I’m not amused face. 

Some things she shouldn’t tell her best friend, that’s for sure. But it’s such a great feeling, though, to be able to joke about her things with Margaery. 

“Oh! Also, apparently I’ve been summoned by Margaery’s family.” 

“What?!” 

“I’ve been invited - although according to Margaery, I never had a choice in the matter- to have dinner with her mother and her brother, on thursday.” 

“Are you kidding me?” 

“I wish…” 

“Shit’s getting serious. Will you meet her grandmother too?” 

“Gods, I don’t think so. She’s going to be out of town… so hopefully she won’t be here on Saturday either.” 

They start talking about how a person should behave in front of a famous politician, because Sansa’s never been in that position before (and neither has Jeyne) and it’s too scary to even think about it. After five minutes, Jeyne looks at her watch and Sansa knows what that means. 

“We should go back to work.” 

“We should. But it’s so boring this morning…” 

“I know. Give me afternoon shifts anytime. I miss kids.” Sansa pouts. 

 

She calls Arya later, Jeyne being anything but helpful. And she thinks that while Arya will be more or less the same, sometimes she’s been lucky enough to get something useful. She crosses her fingers for that to be one of those days. 

“I need help.” 

“What have you done? Are you in jail? I’ll bail you.” 

She groans. “Never mind. I’ll call Robb.” 

“Yeah, sure.” Arya laughs. “But come on, tell me.” 

“It’s Margaery’s birthday on Saturday.” 

“Aw! That’s unfortunate. You’ve only known her for like, what? Two weeks? And you have to find a present?” 

“Exactly!” 

“What about sex?” 

“Come on!” Sansa groans. “Not you too!” 

“Did Jeyne say the same thing?” Arya laughs. “Two against one… it has to mean something, Sansa.”

“Yes, that both of you are pervs.” 

“I’ll try to think of something. Prude.” 

“I’m ignoring you. Anyway, I was calling to talk to you about… well, about Gendry. Margaery said that you should come to the birthday party. He’s going to be there and… it’d be a great way to see each other. And less awkward than exchanging phone numbers.” 

“She wants me there on her birthday?” 

“It’s a win-win situation, Arya. I get the pleasure of your company and you get to see him again.” 

“I don’t want to see him again.” 

“Sure you don’t.” 

In the end Arya agrees to go, she makes Sansa work a little bit for it, but she was expecting it… otherwise, it would have looked like she was eager and Arya would never, ever, let that happen. 

 

Margaery calls her during lunch time (which has become pretty much an habit of them) and she lies about how she has plans with Jeyne later, reason why they can’t meet for a coffee or anything. She feels bad, but it’s for a good cause. She really needs that alone time to figure out what she’s going to do, since neither of her “trusted” people gave her anything to work with. 

 

How hard is it to find not a present, but just an idea for a present? Sansa’s going crazy, because she’s been walking around the city for at least an hour and a half and she’s found nothing, absolutely nothing, that she considers suitable for Margaery. Also, how much money should she spend? She needs a guide for birthdays that happen in the beginning of a relationships because gods… she just doesn’t know what to do. She doesn’t want to seem cheap, but she doesn’t want to go overboard with it either. So, what’s appropriate? It’d be so much easier if she could think of something… 

After three hours of aimlessly wandering the streets and shops, she goes back home feeling defeated. She needs to cuddle Lady for a bit, she’ll help her to get over how useless she feels, and how much anxiety the stupid present is giving her. Why couldn’t she had met Margaery on december, why? 

 

When she’s finally on the couch with Lady by her side, she texts Margaery. Saying that she misses her is an understatement. It’s funny how things change in so little time (and she chooses to feel like it’s funny instead of lame, yes). 

_How was your evening?_

_Boring. Lots of work. Told you about grandma’s trip tomorrow, right? Well, it’s been crazy in the office._

_Awww, poor you!_

Sansa still thinks it’s insane how Margaery’s grandmother is no other than Olenna Tyrell. She just can’t believe it. Is a concept that her brain can’t fully grasp… and she knows she’s going to get to accept the idea way sooner than she would have liked. Only a few more days until the party. But before that, dinner with her family. Oh, what a fun week to be Sansa. 

 

_But now I get to relax at home. And by relax I mean… go on Facebook or something._

_Facebook… That’s weird. I didn’t think you’d have Facebook!_

_Who doesn’t?_

_I don’t._

_… Seriously?_

_No, just kidding :) But I know people who don’t! And believe it or not, they live normal lives!_

_NO, I CAN’T BELIEVE IT! STOP SPREADING LIES, SANSA!_

_Lol, funny :3_

 

When she notices Lady walking around, restless, she knows that it’s time to go take one of their daily walks. 

“Let’s go, girl. Time to get some fresh air!” 

Lady trots next to her, and Sansa thinks of how great the life of a dog (one that’s taken care of, that is) must be. No worries, no anxieties… just enjoying life and everything it has to offer. Like smelling grass, chasing squirrels, eating everything in sight (and puking it afterwards if it’s not edible)… Sounds pretty great except for that last part, if you ask her. But no, she’s stuck in human body, where she has to panic over what she’s going to do in two days, when she has to meet Margaery’s mother and be in the same room as her brother again. And this human body also has to find a present for another one. Why?! 

“You’re a lucky Lady, you know that?”

The dog wags her tail and she smiles. 

“Then again, you don’t get to date Margaery Tyrell so… your loss.” 

She imagines that Lady would reply something sassy like “well, she sure spent a long time petting me!” and she laughs.

“I’m going crazy, you know? Good thing you don’t judge.” 

Crazy people do crazy things, so she should be one of those. She grabs her phone and starts texting Margaery. 

 

_Hey! I’m going to the park with Lady. I’m just randomly letting you know ;D_

_I love your subtlety, Sansa <3 _

_I know, right? :3333 (found out you can use more than one 3!)_

_Aw, you’re adorable! (Anyway… maybe I’ll randomly see you in a bit)_

_See, being subtle works like a charm._

_Don’t push your luck!!_

_:(_

_Be there in 20._

_:DDDDD_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's one of those days in which I'm not that happy with the result, but it's NaNo time and this is my personal challenge... so here it is, anyway! :D


	18. day 18

Margaery’s not getting enough sleep and that’s okay with her. She might be feeling like a zombie, but again… that’s okay. Because what’s the other option? To be well rested? To hell with that. If being well rested means sacrificing the evening walks in the park with Sansa… then hah! She’ll choose zombie over it, anytime. 

Over breakfast she thinks about how Sansa commented that it’s the first time that Lady’s tolerated a girl that she’s dating, at least that fast. Apparently her dog had quite a reputation between Sansa’s previous girlfriends. Girlfriends. Is that what they are now? They haven’t said the word yet, but… if they’re not, then Margaery has no idea of what to call themselves. Is it too soon? Are they still testing the waters? Why don’t they have a written timeline that they can follow somewhere? Because gods, it gets confusing sometimes. 

One of the things that bother Margaery the most is the pressure of society in general. If it was up to her, she’d go to Sansa and she’d say something like “I’m going to start calling you my girlfriend, if that’s okay with you”, but she won’t because _what if it’s too soon and Sansa doesn’t feel the same?_. Ugh! Annoying. But anyway, back to the Lady thing. She can’t help but feel pride about how she’s conquered the dog’s heart (as well as the owner, hopefully!). She wants to point at whatever previous girlfriends Sansa’s had and laugh at how they couldn’t tame the beast. 

Her phone chimes and she smiles. No one other than her brother or Sansa would text her so soon… and she’s happy to discover that it’s the latter. 

_Hope you’re not too tired!_

_It was worth it :)_

_Are you on your way to work?_

_I’ll leave in five minutes._

_Power nap! Lol_

_If only :P_

_Btw , I haven’t found you on Facebook._

_LOLOL!_

_Not funny… !! I want to stalk, Margaery._

_I’ll add you later :3 I have a secret name…_

_Ohhhh you famous person you._

_-_- Idiot._

_Go to work!! You’re going to be late, omg._

_’S okay, I’ve got connections ;D_

_I’m rolling my eyes. Also, seriously, leave now._

 

She’s been at work for a couple of hours when she hears Gendry move and she looks at him, ready to complain (fake-complain) about the noise. That is, until she notices his panicked face. That’s when she realizes what’s happening. 

“Olenna.” He nods his head, in a solemn way. 

“Hi, grandma.” She gets up to greet her. 

“Margaery.” She smiles, kissing her cheeks. “I need the office for a few minutes, Gendry, if you don’t mind.” 

The way he opens his eyes it’s like he wasn’t expecting her grandmother to remember his name. He doesn’t know that Olenna Tyrell knows every person that’s working for her, no matter how insignificant they might think they are. She just doesn’t think of them like that, she thinks of them as equals and the reason why she’s in that position. 

“Oh! Of course. I’m sorry, I’ll… I’ll be outside.” 

Gendry leaves in a rush and Margaery sits in front of her grandmother. 

“It’s been a while since I’ve been down here. How are you doing in the dungeons?” 

Margaery laughs. “It’s fine, grandma. Everything’s going good.” 

She hums. “I’ve heard that you’ve made some good proposals lately.” 

“That’s what you pay me for.” 

Her grandmother hums again and Margaery doesn’t like the sound of it. It’s like she’s not convinced. “Do you think you’re suited to do this job?” 

Margaery stares blankly at her, she just stares. _It suits me fine_ , she wants to say, but she’ll let her grandmother talk first, say everything she needs to say before Margaery speaks her mind. However, there’s only silence. Maybe she’s waiting for a real answer from her, after all, maybe it wasn’t a rhetorical question. 

“I’ve heard no complaints and I like it. I’m good at it.” Margaery shrugs. She loves her grandmother, but she’s kind of scared of her when she’s in full “candidate Olenna Tyrell”. 

“Yes, you are. And enough with the modesty, Margaery.” She waves a hand dismissively. “You didn’t spend all those years studying to start being shy about your qualities now.” 

Poor Sansa, she thinks. In a few days she’s going to meet her and it’s going to be… interesting, to say the least. Also, funny how she thinks of Sansa in such a strange moment. 

“I want you to talk to my campaign manager.” 

“Why?” 

“I want you to start training someone to do your job. You’re leaving in two weeks.” 

“Why?”

“ _Why? Why?_ … Seven hells, Margaery!” 

She pulls herself together, again, and takes a deep breath. She can figure out this thing herself since her grandmother’s not going to cooperate. 

“You want me in a different position.” She says, and then she squints at her. “That, or you’re firing me.” 

When the woman in front of her smiles, she knows she’s not talking to her grandmother, she’s talking to Olenna Tyrell. And she holds her breath.

 

What to feel, what to feel… Margaery can’t choose between feeling ecstatic and panicking, more or less. She bites her lip. She’s losing her cool, definitely. 

“What did she want?” Gendry asks the moment he’s back on his chair and her grandma’s out of the picture. 

She shrugs, still deciding how to react towards the news. “She talked about what’s going to happen if she wins the election.” 

“She becomes the mayor, or so I’ve heard.” He says, grinning. 

“Dumbass.” She laughs, though, and she’s glad because it makes her relax a bit. “I meant… what happens with me.” 

He opens his eyes, big time, waiting for her 

“She says she wants me in the Parks department.” 

It’s the first time she’s saying those words out loud… and she feels a strange mix of pride and nervousness. 

“Oh my gods, Marg! You’re going to be a real life Leslie Knope!” 

 

There have been a few moments in her short relationship with Sansa in which she has realized that it’s going to be a big deal. And in that moment she notices it again, because she feels antsy not talking to Sansa about what her grandmother said. She talked to Gendry and that was great, but she needs to tell Sansa. She just does. And that’s when she realizes how important their relationship is. Not how important it _will_ be, but how it already is. 

And that’s why she decides to pay her a visit during lunch time. 

The library’s mostly empty when she arrives, there are a few people around, but the quietness gives Margaery a bit of comfort. Sansa’s nowhere to be found, though. So in the end, she approaches a girl sitting by a desk. 

“Excuse me, I’m looking for Sansa. Sansa Stark?” 

“One sec—“ She ignores her while she finishes typing something. 

When the girl looks up from the computer, Margaery can swear that she sees her eyes go wide in surprise. 

“Uhm.” The girl looks in the direction where Margaery assumes that Sansa works in usually, and then back to her. “She must be in the archives. I’ll call for her.” 

“Oh, no. I’ll wait. It’s not like there’s nothing to keep me entertained around.” 

She gets a book from the closest shelf, one with a cover that she likes (yup, she’s one of those people who choose books because of their cover!). She feels the girl’s eyes on her a few times, and she ends up assuming that if the girl knows who she is either because she’s super into politics (what are the chances, really?) or… she’s Sansa’s friend. Jane, or whatever her name is. She tries to ignore the glances and focuses on the book. 

After a while, the girl appears in her field of view again, and Margaery looks up. 

“Her lunch is scheduled in ten minutes, so it won’t take her long to come back.” The girl says, smiling awkwardly. 

“It’s okay, really, I’m in no rush.” 

“So… are you M—“ 

She can’t finish her question because Sansa walks in the room, carrying a few folders on her arms. 

“J., you won’t believe how they’re using the annual budget. It’s crazy!” 

Sansa laughs to herself. 

“Wow. If you keep this up, you can totally join the campaign.” 

“Margs!” Sansa lets out a delighted squeal and Margaery laughs some more. Visiting was worth it, if only for that. “I wasn’t expecting you!” 

“I wasn’t expecting to come, either.” 

Sansa hugs her and Margaery closes her eyes for a second to enjoy the feeling. Yup, she can get used to this. Before pulling away, Sansa gives her a quick peck and it’s enough to ignite that spark in Margaery’s brain that makes her wonder how it’d be to make out (for starters) in the library… all those shelves, books… Gods. She needs to focus. 

“I hoped to catch you during lunch break.” She explains, finally. 

Sansa grins. “Give me five minutes.” 

“This girl here said ten.” Margaery points at Sansa’s coworker slash friend. 

“Oh! Jeyne. Have you two met already?” 

Sansa takes her hand and drags her next to who turned to be not Jane, but Jeyne’s desk. 

“Come on, you two have to be officially introduced to each other.” 

“In that case…” Margaery gives her the best smile she can muster. “Nice to meet you, Jeyne.” 

“Same, Margaery.” 

Will she pass the friend test? More to come. 

“By the way, S… She’s been sitting here for like twenty minutes.” 

“What?! You should have called me.” 

“I was going to!” Jeyne says, almost offended. “But she didn’t let me.” 

“You were working. I wasn’t going to interrupt anything. I can wait, as I told Jeyne… I’m in no rush. I don’t have to go back to work this afternoon.” 

Sansa tilts her head, like she doesn’t understand. 

“I kind of needed to talk to you…” Margaery says, quietly. It’s not like it’s a secret, but she wishes that Jeyne wasn’t there. 

“Is everything okay?” 

“Look, go have lunch. If anyone gets here, I’m here.”

Sansa thanks Jeyne profusely and promises her things like coffees and lunches, which please the other girl. Then she takes Margaery’s hand again and almost drags her outside of the building. 

“What happened?” She sounds worried, and Margaery’s heart warms. Such a nice girl. 

“Well… remember when you asked me about my future plans in politics?” 

“Yes.” 

“My grandma’s making me leave my job in two days.” 

“What?!” 

Margaery smiles softly. She still doesn’t know how she feels about the change. A part of her’s like “bring it on! I’m ready!” but the other… the other part is not so sure. 

“She… she wants me upfront. She doesn’t want me working in the media department anymore… she wants me to talk to the campaign manager because she wants me in the Parks and Recreation department if she wins.” 

“Wow.” 

“Indeed.” 

“And… how do you feel?” 

“I feel torn. I want to do this. I was _born_ to do this, you know? But I feel like the backlash might be too much. She’s had a great campaign so far. I don’t want that giving her grandchild a better job becomes the reason why she doesn’t win. And… I’m freaking out, basically.” 

“I understand.” 

“I don’t know what to do.” 

“Is this why you’re not working in the evening?” 

Margaery nods. “She says I need to figure it out today. Because if I accept, then tomorrow it’s my job to find someone else who’s going to replace me.” 

“Woah. Does Gendry know?” 

“More or less. I didn’t tell him that I’d be leaving so soon if I accept the offer… but he must know, right? I don’t know.” 

“Honestly? With your background and upbringing, it makes sense that you work in the Parks department. You’d be a great asset, and I just… well, any department would be lucky to have you, actually, but… you know what I mean.” Sansa shuts up and blushes. “I’m sorry. I won’t say anything else about the topic.” 

Margaery laughs and kisses her cheek. “Let’s go have lunch… I’m buying. And you can talk to me about this topic or any topic you want.” 

“Deal. Except for the buying part. I’ll pay mine and you pay yours.” 

“We’ll see.” 

Margaery winks an eye at Sansa and then takes her hand in hers. It’s become one of her most favorite things in the world, to walk hand in hand with Sansa. She feels so close to her. 

“How long until you have to go back?” 

“Forty minutes.” 

“Then, let’s make the most out of them… because afterwards _I want to go home and rethink my life_.” 

Margaery makes the jedi hand wave and Sansa laughs, understanding. 

Yes… The girl’s a keeper.


	19. Day 19

_Come to my place. I need help!_

_What’s wrong!?_

_Just… I don’t know what to wear._

_Damn it, Sansa! Next time word things a bit differently!_

_:3 sorry!_

 

She sits in Sansa’s bed, with Lady’s head resting on her legs while she pats her, while Sansa goes through her closet trying to find something she deems appropriate (because, as far as she’s concerned… most of the outfits she’s showed Margaery were perfectly good. 

“It’s just dinner, really.” 

“No, it’s not _just dinner_.” Sansa looks at her in disbelief. “You say that because it’s your family! You’ll be panicking too when you meet mine.” 

Margaery smiles. She said it like it was going to happen, definitely. 

“What? What is so funny now?” 

“You said “when you meet mine”, I don’t know.” Margaery feels like that could be one of those moments where a person could get shy. But she’s okay, she’s okay. 

“What about it?” 

“It’s just… nice. To know that you think that I’ll meet your family, eventually.” 

Sansa, who had been too busy being annoyed at her and panicking about the dinner, smiles, shyly at first but then more confidently. 

“Well, of course I think that you’ll meet them. Why wouldn’t I?” 

Margaery abandons her spot on the bed (and Lady follows her with her eyes) and she corners Sansa against the closet door. The other girl laughs. 

“Believe it or not…” She says, kissing her softly. “It’s the first time that I’ve found the prospect of meeting some girl’s family… exciting.” 

And then she’s kissing her languidly, and when she presses her own body against Sansa’s… oh what a great feeling. All the curves she needs to explore… endless possibilities. Besides, it’s a great way to make them forget about the reasons they’re panicking… which coincidentally all have something to do with Margaery’s family. 

When she starts kissing Sansa’s neck, all the things about her new job forgotten momentarily, the girl lets out half a moan half a groan. 

“Oh gods. If you keep doing that… we’re going to be late.” 

Margaery grins and mutters. “Fuck dinner. Let’s do this instead.” 

That was, apparently, a bad thing to say because it makes Sansa snap out of if. Damn. 

“Hells, no.” Sansa pushes her away. _Literally_. “Who knows what your brother already thinks of me, we’re not getting there late!” 

 

“Mom, I swear.” Margaery whispers. “If you mention my baby pictures again, I’m not coming on Saturday.” 

Her mother laughs, and Margaery looks impassible at her. She went to “help my mom” in the kitchen, a code word for “I’m going to complain for all the things she’s saying”. 

“I’m serious, mother!” 

“Oh, Margaery. You’re so funny sometimes.” 

She loves her mother, she does, but she finds her exasperating sometimes. And that is one of those times. Margaery sees Sansa talk to Loras on the other side of the room and she goes to rescue her while her mother goes back to check on the food that she started cooking with Loras (both of them are cooking enthusiasts). 

“I can’t believe _you_ like those movies.” He’s saying. 

“How can you not?” Sansa asks. 

“Bad story, bad acting, terri—“ 

“Stop talking about Star Wars, Loras. You’re being offensive…” 

“How did you know?” Sansa asks her, smiling. 

“It’s not the first time he’s said those words about them. It’s like he’s learn a speech about why one should hate Star Wars or something.” 

“Oh, but that’s totally what I did. Found it on some obscure forum online.” He winks an eye at Margaery and she rolls her eyes. “By the way, Sansa, she’s here to save you from my company.” 

“Are you?” Sansa grins. 

“Only from his stupidity, not his company.” 

Her mother gets back to the living room. “Dinner will be ready in ten minutes… but you should go check the oven, Loras.”

He does as she tells him and that leaves the three women standing in the room. Margaery suggest moving to the couch, and that’s what they do. She knows that Sansa won’t be comfortable with public displays of affection, at least not in front of her mother (neither is she), so when they sit on the couch she settles for having her hand so close to Sansa’s that she can touch it with her little finger, so very subtle. She tries to hide her grin when Sansa moves hers as well. They look like teenagers, gods. 

“Sansa, I hope you won’t mind us asking you some things… We’re dying of curiosity here! Margaery has kept you in secret all this time.” 

All this time? It’s been a little less than two weeks! Margaery huffs. 

“I didn’t tell you anything because Loras here has a huge mouth and I couldn’t do it in my terms.” Bitter feeling, bitter words. 

“Whatever the cause may be, Margaery, the truth is that you haven’t told us a thing about Sansa.” Her mother says. “Do you have a job?” 

“Oh, yes.” Sansa looks visibly nervous, and Margaery wants to hug her. Poor thing. “I work in a library downtown.” 

“Ah! That’s an interesting career path.” 

“Maybe… But for me? It just made sense. I’ve been surrounded by books my whole life, I love them and I love to share my passion with other people. And thanks to the library, well, I get to do just that.” 

Good. That’s good. Let’s talk more about libraries, Sansa gets really passionate about it and her nerves dissipate. 

“You know mother, Sansa’s trying to start a project in a few schools from the district in order to bring them closer to books and libraries.” 

The look that Sansa shoots at her is one of “why are you doing this?” and Margaery just shrugs. She’s not lying, isn’t she? Although… she hopes that Sansa doesn’t get the wrong impressions. She’s not trying to brag about her girlfriend’s (or whatever) accomplishments, she just thought that it was a really great idea, and important too. 

“Well, it’s something I have in mind… I haven’t talked to anyone there yet and… I’m still trying to write the proposal.” 

“Oh, it’s a wonderful idea. Books are important.” 

“That’s what I think, too.” Sansa smiles shyly. 

Loras returns from checking the and sits on the couch next to their mother. He looks expectantly at them. “What have I missed? How are we torturing Sansa here?” 

Sansa laughs softly. At least she seems happy. 

“She was telling us about her job in the library.” Her mother says. 

“Libraries are cool.” 

“What a great choice of words, Loras.” Margaery mocks. “And that illustrates why reading is important. So you don’t end up being like this one here.” 

“Someone’s bitchy! Are you PMSing already?” He glares at Margaery. 

“Children, behave!” Their mother looks at them kind of annoyed. And then she smiles when she turns to Sansa again. “Can you believe this? Almost over thirty, both of them, and still fighting like they’re five.”

“Only because we love each other, mother.” Says Loras, kissing her cheek. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, Sansa probably fights with her siblings too.” 

“Oh, do you have brothers or sisters, Sansa?” 

“One sister. Three brothers.” 

Margaery arches her eyebrows. Three brothers? Why does she only remember hearing about one of them? She’ll have to ask for more information about these later. It feels like something she should have known, and not something that she learnt at the same time that her mother did. Strange feeling. 

“Her sister’s coming to my birthday on Saturday, if you’re interested in interrogating more members of her family.” Margaery comments.

Her mother glares at her and Margaery laughs, so does Loras. Sansa sits there, looking around probably too shy to laugh at the joke as well. 

“Watch the tone, young lady.” 

“Only for a couple of days more!” Loras says, grinning. “Then you’ll be in your thirties… and there’s no going back.” 

“Shut up.” 

 

Sansa takes her hand the moment they’re outside the building, and Margaery stops walking for a moment. She needs the contact, and she hugs her for a few seconds. 

“How bad was it, in a scale of one to ten?” She whispers close to her ear. 

“Better than I expected, I think. So… three?” Sansa shrugs. “Your mom’s nice. And Loras is super funny. He seems a really nice guy.” 

“They’re not going to shut up about you, ugh. It’s going to be so annoying!” 

Sansa nudges her. “Hey!” 

“Good thing I like you.” 

Sansa rolls her eyes, but Margaery knows that she likes hearing that (maybe almost as much as Margaery likes to say it). 

“Do you think I caused a good impression?” 

“Are you kidding me? They loved you.” 

One thing’s for sure, she’s not lying nor pretending that things are better than they were… like she had done in more than one occasion. She always assumed that maybe her family had issues with her girlfriends… but maybe it was just that the girlfriends weren’t as… right… as Sansa feels. And maybe her family sees that too. That’s a nice thought. 

“And how are you feeling?” Sansa asks, before kissing her hand and before they start walking again. “You haven’t said anything about your job.” 

Margaery shrugs. “I haven’t told them yet. I didn’t want to mention it because I wanted to be as unbiased as possible.” 

“You told me.” 

“Well, you’re… you.” Margaery grins. 

“So? What happened? What did you tell grandma T.?”

“I’m doing it. I’m looking for my replacement.” She takes a deep breath. “Wow. It feels huge to even say something as simple as that.” 

“It is huge… but you’re going to be great. I know you will.” 

“Oh, you know?” Margaery 

Sansa grins and bites her lip. “Mhm. I just know.” 

So she’s going suggestive? Well, two can play that game. 

“What else do you know, Sansa Stark?” Margaery’s voice gets lower and sultrier. 

“You’d be surprised…” She arches an eyebrow and starts laughing. 

Margaery looks at her in disbelief. She can’t believe that Sansa was _that_ bold. It’s a side of her that she knows it’s there, but she doesn’t see often. It’s really shocking, in a good way of course. Bold Sansa is sexy. Then again, so is shy Sansa. And library-enthusiastic Sansa and… okay, maybe it’s better if Margaery just assumes that she finds Sansa sexy, in general, because otherwise she’ll have to compile a really long list… and she could use her time for much better things… like finding out what Sansa knows and won’t tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Posting late because I just got home from an outing with my friends from work :) I don't have the strength to proof read this right now, so I'll do that tomorrow. I apologize in advance if something doesn't make sense!


	20. day 20

Sansa lays in bed for a while, thinking what to do now that she’s got the day off. She yawns and stretches, smiling while wondering if she should spend the morning reading in bed. It’s an enticing thought, specially since she hasn’t read much since she started dating Margaery and she too—wait a moment. Margaery… Margaery’s birthday is in one day! She still needs to find a gift! And she’s not looking for a perfect gift, no. An “okay” gift will be more than okay as far as she’s concerned in that moment. 

She groans and lets herself out of bed. She’ll have breakfast, she’ll take a walk with Lady and then she’ll have to go to the city center. Again. Oh, the frustration. Arya and Jeyne’s idea has started to sound kind of plausible. 

Since she’s already thinking about her, she decides to text Margaery. First thing she does in the morning, how lame is she becoming? 

_How’s the search for the new (but irreplaceable) Margaery?_

Response comes a few minutes later, when she’s already making something to eat and waiting for her coffee. 

_They’re all jerks. How is this possible?_

_Maybe it’s something in the water. You should tell grandma T to study it when she wins._

_I can’t say it’s not a possibility! The people I’ve interviewed so far… wow!! And I really want to find someone good for Gendry._

_As long as it’s not a girl who’s going to charm him away from Arya… :P_

_Don’t worry! Tomorrow we’ll seal the deal. We’re the best matchmakers ever!!!!_

 

That reminds her… she really needs to figure out when Arya’s getting there. She needs to start planning things, like how they should definitely go get dinner and beers. Besides, if she gets there early, maybe she can help her with the present. With any luck, Arya’s more helpful in person than she was when they talked over the phone. 

Okay. Ideas. She needs ideas. Not jewelry. Not clothes. She doesn’t have pets, so no to silly but adorable pet gifts. She’s minimalistic in the way she decorates the house. So anything decoration is out of the picture… unless it _is_ a picture. Maybe an art print? Then again, art is so subjective that it’s a little bit risky. 

Unless it was something nerdy. 

Oh gods, how did she not think of that before?! Sansa’s mind starts racing. She’s seen plenty of pictures online of people making Star Wars pictures, adapting posters and… hundreds of things, really, that look super minimalist and perfect and a present that could be good enough for Margaery, because if it was for her… she’d love it. How come she hadn’t thought of that? If the person you’re trying to buy a present for is a Star Wars fan, then it’s not that hard. Definitely not! She laughs, feeling like a weight lifted from her chest. Time to do some online research. Surely there must be someone who sells Star Wars art prints in King’s Landing, right? 

Right. Her morning gets lost in front of her laptop, there are so many amazing pictures and she doesn’t know what to choose. Turns out, she’s going to need Arya’s help, after all. 

“Hey.” 

“What’s up, Sansa?” 

“When are you getting here?” 

“A couple of hours, maybe.”

“Okay.” Sansa nods. She can do that. She can wait two hours. “Ah! Remember to bring something fancy for tomorrow.” 

Her sister lets out a long groan. “I don’t know why I agreed to that stupid birthday thing.” 

“Because you liiiiiike Gendry.” Sansa says, as a reminder. 

“Shut up.” 

“You shut up and hurry up! I need help with her present.” 

“I say don’t bother buying anything, give her the present of an orgasm.” 

“Gods, Arya!” 

She hears her laugh and rolls her eyes. She enjoys making her feel uncomfortable, gods know why. 

“Gotta go. I have to finish packing.” 

“Okay. I’ll wait for you, then you’re coming downtown with me.” 

“Fine. But you buy dinner.” 

“ _Fine_.”

She manages to track down two places in town where they, apparently, sell the kind of prints she’s looking for. And then it’s just a matter of waiting for Arya to arrive. Impatiently. 

 

“Oh wow. Buy them all!” Arya says, looking at the catalogue that the guy who works at the shop is showing them. 

“I know right?!” Sansa is delighted. 

“Who are you buying this for?” The man asks.

“Her girlfriend.” 

“She’s not my g—” Sansa takes a deep breath and thinks about how they’re in an art shop, not the most appropriate place to argue with her sister about the semantics of her relationship with Margaery. “Okay. Yes. So she’s a Star Wars fan… I just can’t decide which one I like better.” 

“May I suggest these three? They look gorgeous when put together in a three picture frame.” 

The three pictures that he’s pointing at are posters for the original trilogy, one for each movie. They do look great by themselves, but he’s right. As a group, they look amazing. 

“Black mat and black frame works great with these three.” 

“How’s her apartment?” Arya asks. “What do you think?” 

Sansa thinks of the open spaces, the light… “It’s a bright apartment. I think it would look good. Good contrast.” 

“Then it’s all settled!” Arya raises her fist. “Let’s go get drunk.” 

Sansa laughs and looks at the guy embarrassed. He’s looking down and Sansa suspects that he’s feeling as embarrassed as she is. Leave it to her sister to embarrass everyone around. 

“When can I pick it up? Because her birthday is tomorrow and I’m in such a hurry that…” 

“You can pick it up tomorrow morning, I’ll have it ready.” He says, smiling. “Would that be okay?” 

“That’d be perfect!” 

She has a present. She has a present for Margaery! And it’s not too shabby, if she may say so herself! In fact, if Margaery doesn’t like them she’ll be okay just keeping them for herself. Oh, yes. Not that she wants Margaery not to like her present, of course… she just likes the idea of keeping them for herself. 

 

They’re waiting in the restaurant for their food and Arya goes outside to take a call from a coworker or something. Sansa, as usual, uses that time to get her phone and text Margaery. 

 

_Almost-birthday girl! I hope your day is good…_

_Girl from Winterfell! My day is fine… told my parents about the job, though._

_Omg! How did they react?_

_They got super excited. I’m thinking that maybe I should have waited after the party… what if they do something crazy?_

_LOL, poor Margs._

_Yes, laugh at my own misery -_-_

_:DDDD By the way… I got you a present! Can I see you tomorrow before the party to give it to you?_

_No, you didn’t._

_I did._

_Sansa!!_

_Margaery!!!_

_You shouldn’t have._

_I wanted to!_

_I hope you didn’t feel like you had to…_

_Aww! Don’t worry, I didn’t :)_

_Good._

_Good!_

_I’ll miss you tonight._

Sansa grins like an idiot. It’s stupid, but when Margaery says that she’ll miss her she gets butterflies and fluffy things and… no, not really. But she does get happy. She feels wanted. And wanted by Margaery, no less. What else can she ask for? 

_Same…_

_Tomorrow morning. Brunch?_

_Can’t… Arya’s around and I’d feel bad leaving her…_

_:( Okay. We’ll figure something out._

_Have fun tonight, Margs!_

 

When she turns to Arya, her eyes are gleaming with all the ideas she’s having. 

“I need to track down her brother’s phone number.” 

“What?” Arya makes a gesture to the waiter. She wants another beer. “I need more alcohol if you’re going to start with your crazy ideas.” 

“Okay, hear this out…” She grins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No internet last night :( So, again, it'll be two chapters today.


	21. Day 21

_I know it’s early and that you’re probably sleeping… but happy birthday, Margs. I’m really happy I met you. You’re amazing and I feel really really lucky! So… may the Force be with you! See you later <3 _

 

Sansa needs to know if Margaery is going to be home in the morning. That’s why it is so important to get Loras’ number, because then he can be the one asking, he can be the decoy. It would have been so much easier to get his number if she had asked for Gendry’s… because surely Gendry has Loras’, right? Oh well. It’s too late for that. 

“See, you should have asked Margaery for Gendry’s number.” Apparently, Arya has gotten to the same conclusion as she has. 

“Get your hacking abilities working, damn it.” Sansa whispers, hoping that the people in the library won’t realize that she’s talking on the phone. 

“I think it’ll be easier to get Gendry’s contact information, because the Tyrell are difficult to find, being famous and all.” 

“I know, right? I couldn’t even find Margaery’s Facebook account. How did she even do that?” 

Arya laughs. “Okay. Let’s do this. I’ll call you when I get his number.”

“Can’t wait!” 

 

It’s less than an hour later when Arya sends her a text with Loras’ number. She doesn’t say how she got it, and Sansa doesn’t ask because she’s too busy calling the number. What will she say? Will she sound crazy? She takes a deep breath. 

It rings twice and then he answers the phone. 

“Hi?” 

“Uhm. Hi. Loras? This is Sansa. I hope you don’t mind that I’m calling…” 

“This isn’t Loras.”

Shit. That was unexpected. 

“Oh… okay. Sorry. Must have the wrong number.” 

“Wait, wait! I mean, this is his phone but he’s showering. I’ll tell him you’ve called.” 

Sansa laughs nervously. “That’d be great, thank you.” 

“You’re Margaery’s girl, right? Sansa.” 

“That’d be me, yes.” Please don’t blush, she thinks. 

“Oh gods. This is so weird and exciting! I’m Renly.” She hears the guy laugh. 

“Nice to meet you, Renly.” She laughs too, because that’s indeed one of the strangest conversations she’s had. 

“I can’t wait to meet you! Sorry if it’s a weird thing to say… I just thought that there’s so much things we could tell each other about these two, don’t you think?” 

“Oh, definitely. There’s so much to share!” She doesn’t know why, but she’s joking with this guy she hasn’t even seen and it just… feels right. 

“Loras told me you were interrogated by his mother?” 

“Oh, gods. It was so awkward!” 

“I’m lucky I haven’t met them yet. It’s a terrifying thought. Good luck tonight, by the way.” 

“Thank you. I’m going to definitely need it.” 

“Why do you need Loras, by the way?” 

“I want to give Margaery her present… and I wanted to make sure she’s home when I take it there.” 

“So cute! Wait, I’ll go get him. It’s taking him a long time… and you know how guys can be. Sometime we’re worse than girls.” 

Sansa laughs. She does want to meet this guy soon, yes. 

She ends up talking to Loras briefly, and he’s happy to do his part, so he calls Margaery to tell her that he’s dropping by with lunch later. The plan’s ready and now Sansa just needs to finish work so she can go visit her. Ah, she’s so excited! 

 

The excitement is gone by the time she’s reached Margaery’s apartment. She rings the bell and she stands awkwardly tapping her fingers on her leg. 

“One moment!” Margaery’s muffled voice is heard through the door. “You could have used your key, dammit!” 

Sansa bites her lip and tries not to laugh. Yup, she still thinks she’s Loras. When the door opens, Margaery’s face goes from shocked to pleasantly surprised. 

“Happy birthday!” Sansa throws herself into her arms, embracing Margaery in a tight hug a moment before she kisses her. 

“Happy birthday indeed.” She grins. “What are you doing here? I thought you were working!” 

“I was. But with Loras’ help I thought that I could surprise you, if you were home.” 

Margaery doesn’t say anything else, she just pulls Sansa closer and kisses her again, and the kiss feels like the kind of kiss that you give to someone you haven’t seen in ages, it has a touch of urgency. They stumble to get inside the apartment and Margaery closes the door with her foot. She doesn’t stop kissing Sansa, not even when she starts to take her jacket off, which ends up somewhere on the floor. 

And soon they’re lying on the couch, things heating up pretty quickly. 

“We have to stop.” Sansa whispers, when she regains a bit of control. 

“Why?” 

“It’s your birthday…” 

“Exactly… so… why?” Margaery kisses her neck and Sansa sighs. It’s going to be harder than she thought. 

“It’s going to look like I’m only doing this because it’s your birthday.” 

“ _What?_ ” Margaery looks at her like she’s looking at a horse with three heads. “Who’s going to think that? Me?” 

“I… I don’t know. People. And you, too.” Sansa’s cheeks are on fire. It’s like she’s hearing herself and wow… does she sound crazy or what? 

“Oh gods. You’re serious, aren’t you?” 

Sansa smiles awkwardly and shrugs. 

“Okay. Fine… I’m taking a cold shower.” Margaery says, disentangling herself from Sansa and giving her a quick peck before getting up from the couch. “I’ll be right back…” 

Sansa covers her face with her hands. She’s being stupid. She’s being really, really stupid, isn’t she? Gods, yes. Who in the seven hells does what she just did?! She gets up and follows Margaery, because it’s so stupid to wait only because it’s her birthday… she wants it, after all. They both do. She collides against Margaery, who was going out of her room again. 

“Ouch!” Margaery rubs her nose and her cheek. 

“Oh gods, I’m so sorry!” Sansa takes Margaery’s face on her hands and kisses her nose. “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?” 

“It’s fine… I’m fine.” Margaery’s smile is small, but it’s there “And I’m sorry too.” 

“No, it’s not fine, really. I’m being stupid and… pretty much stupid, yes.” She laughs and she kisses Margaery, but this time she pushes her against the door. “It _is_ your birthday.” 

“You keep saying that, and I know it is.” 

“We should celebrate accordingly.” 

When she starts unbuttoning her own shirt, she doesn’t stop looking at Margaery, who’s also looking at her with a mix of disbelief and, mostly, excitement. She leaves her unbuttoned shirt on, because she wants Margaery to be the one who takes it off and soon she’s doing just that. Margaery’s hands are brushing Sansa’s shoulders and the shirt falls on the floor without either of them paying much attention, except for Sansa, who can’t help but to think for a second of all the clothes she’s been shedding on the apartment. But who cares, really, she’ll get them all later… now she needs to focus on the girl in front of her, and by the look on her face, it looks like Jeyne and Arya were right… because she looks quite happy (also, time to stop thinking about family and friends, gods). 

“Despite of how cliché this is going to be, Sansa… you’re gorgeous. Breathtakingly so.”

She might be blushing, who knows? But Margaery’s words make her feel bolder. It’s clear that Margaery wants it as much as she does, so why should she feel bad or shy for wanting it too? And that’s when she discovers that Margaery wasn’t wearing a bra under the t-shirt. Her throat starts feeling super dry, the mere vision of Margaery bare from the waist up… it feels so intense that it makes Sansa wonder what will happen when the rest of her clothes gets discarded as well. _Let’s find out_ , she thinks. But before she investigates that, she basks a little bit more on what she has in that moment. And her hands caress, her lips kiss and her tongue licks… even her teeth bite. It’s exhilarating to feel how every part of her responds to Margaery’s touches, and gods her sounds she’s so sexy when she moans! 

When Margaery takes off Sansa’s last items of clothing, she stares for a few seconds like she’s unable to move. Like she’s frozen. And then her lips are on Sansa’s and her hands are caressing as much skin as possible. Sansa undoes her pants and then she’s naked too. Completely naked in front of her, and Sansa has trouble knowing how to function. 

“Wow.” She whispers, looking at _all that skin_. “Wow…” 

“Cold” Margaery says, as she pulls her closer and kisses her, with so much intensity that Sansa wonders if she’s trying to steal her warmth with the kiss. “Super cold, really…!”

Sansa laughs. “You’re such a southerner, it’s hilarious actually.” 

“Oh, shush.” Margaery takes her hand and leads her to her bed. “Come warm me up.” 

As soon as they’re under the covers, Margaery shivers against her. Whether it is from the cold or from what’s happening, Sansa doesn’t know. But what she does know is how she can’t get over the feeling of how her skin feels against Margaery’s. She wants to feel like that forever, is it possible? Margaery’s fingers on her thigh. Sansa almost gasps, and it’s only her leg. She feels like every part of her is completely ready to react to whatever Margaery does to her… and she can’t wait to feel it all. 

First times with new people are awkward. Sansa’s aware of that, and she guesses that Margaery is too, but the truth is that with Margaery? Okay, it might not be perfect, but it was everything she had hoped it could be and more. And the best part is knowing how much room for improvement there is. They just have to keep doing it. A lot of times, hopefully. 

Later, while they’re dozing off, Margaery mumbles close to her ear. 

“I wish we didn’t have to go to the stupid party.” 

“You know what? Me, too.” 

 

But they do have a party to attend, and eventually they have to show up. Much to Sansa’s chagrin, there must be at least fifty or more people. She wants to go back to the car and leave. And hopefully Margaery can leave with her and they can work on improving the sex. But of course, that’s never going to happen. 

“You didn’t say the whole city would be here!” Sansa whispers, alarmed. 

“I told you they did these things, they go crazy planning!” Margaery whispers back, smiling the whole time to the people in the room. “I told you they overdo things!”

She’s going to die. She’s in fact going to die of embarrassment. She doesn’t look half appropriate for what she’s about to face. Margaery’s family. Gods, everyone looks impecable. It’s like one of those galas that she reads about in newspapers and online articles. It’s crazy. Arya can’t get there fast enough. She shouldn’t have let her leave with Gendry to look at whatever nerdy thing. What if they don’t show up? What if they’re so into each other that they end up hooking up somewhere and missing the party altogether? Now panic and freak out. Oh gods. 

 

She’s been less than ten minutes when the thing she had feared the most happens. 

“Sansa, Sansa… so you’re the girl that everyone _but_ the birthday girl is talking about.” 

She’s panicking. She tries to smile, but she’s in the presence of Olenna Tyrell, so obviously she’s forgotten how to do that. 

“I wasn’t aware… And I don’t think I deserve it.” 

“Loras keeps talking about you. My daughter in law keeps talking about you, even my son who just met you wouldn’t shut up about it! Yet Margaery avoids the topic of “who’s Sansa Stark” like the plague. Now, why would she do that?” 

She sees Margaery across the room, and her face tells Sansa that she’s in trouble. Also, how did she find out about her surname? Did they check her references or something? Oh gods. She’s so nervous that she’s scared she’ll end up blurting out that she’s had sex with her grandchild. Because she’s awkward like that. _Focus, Sansa, focus!_

“I can’t say that I know the reason.” 

“She’s protecting you, my dear. She thinks I’m going to make you run away from the family.” 

Sansa bites her lip and decides that she’s going go all in. If she fails, well… at least she’s trying. “Should I be scared, then?” 

Olenna laughs, and suddenly she’s a bit less terrifying and a bit more human than she seemed like before. 

“Of course not. Unless you’re after the family’s money and power, in which case… you should be careful, to say the least.” 

Aaaaand back to scary. 

“I’m a happy librarian, I don’t have it in me.” She smiles, because she finally remembered how to do that. 

“Believe me, you’d be surprised.” 

“Grandmother.” Margaery appears next to Sansa, and the relief is instant. 

“Margaery, my dear. Don’t you worry… I’ve been nothing but nice to this young lady here.” 

She squints at her grandmother. “I’m sure you have…” 

“She doesn’t trust me! Sansa, tell her I’ve behaved.” 

“Like she’d tell you! She’s way too polite, grandmother.” 

Olenna laughs and rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll leave you two alone to your things. And Sansa. It’s been a real pleasure.” 

“Same.” 

“I hope we can talk again some other day.” 

Sansa nods and waves at Olenna as she leaves. Then she turns to Margaery. 

“Woah. That was intense.” 

“You okay?” 

She shrugs. “I guess.”

“I’ll get you a drink while you get us a couple of chairs, sounds good?” 

Again, Sansa nods. The prospect of sitting for a bit with Margaery sounds pretty much perfect. Although she predicts that a lot of people will want to talk to birthday girl, because after all it’s a party in her honor and they just arrived. 

 

She looks at her watch. They’ve been there two hours… and so much for Arya helping her get through the night in one piece! She’s been talking to Gendry in a corner almost since they arrived. 

“They’re hitting it off, aren’t they?” Margaery arrives with another two glasses of wine (delicious wine) and, apparently, she noticed Sansa looking at the two of them. 

“What do you think they’re talking about?” She smiles as she takes a sip from the glass. 

“They’re probably discussing which Doctor is better, or something like that. Because, obviously, they won’t be able to agree on that either.” Margaery says, laughing. 

“Can you imagine if they’re only into each other because they disagree so much?” 

They start joking at their expense and that helps Sansa forget about the awkwardness she’s been feeling since they arrived. She hadn’t expected to be introduced to so many people and so many family members, gods. It’s insane… how many Tyrell are in the city!? Why aren’t they all in Highgarden, as they should? 

 

“We’re going.” Arya announces, approaching the table where Sansa and Margaery are sitting by. 

Sansa looks at her sister and then at Gendry. He looks kind of shy, and Margaery’s laughing at them. She raises her champagne glass. “Have fun, kids.” 

“Do you want to come?” He asks. “We might go bowling.” 

“Oh, no. You go ahead.” 

“Sounds exciting, but I’d rather go home. It’s been an exhausting day.” Sansa answers, shrugging. “Some other time?” 

She could swear that she hears Arya say under her breath “Exhausting day, sure”, but when she looks at her sister, she’s got the most harmless face ever. Which means she totally said it. 

“I’ll make sure you remember that.” Gendry smiles and kisses Margaery goodbye. “I hope your birthday keeps going well.” 

“Yeah, happy birthday again, Margaery.” Arya kisses her cheek and then she waves at Sansa. “See you later at home!” 

When Margaery looks at her, she has this smug look on her face and Sansa laughs. 

“Mission accomplished.” 

They high five and then they make a toast. 

“For more successful matchmaking in years to come!” 

“Hurray!” 

 

An hour later, most of the guests have left and Margaery goes to say goodbye to her family while Sansa talks to Loras, who was kind enough to offer his company while the girl of the moment does what she’s supposed to do. 

“Tell Renly that I have new stories to exchange!” She says, when Margaery comes back and says that she’s ready to leave. 

“I will! Also, double date soon, right?” 

“Yes, please.” Sansa grins, because now that prospect looks like so much fun! And she can talk about how terrifying the Tyrell are with someone that will get her.

“Let’s plan it for this week, shall we Marg?” Loras nods at his sister. 

“Sure thing.” Then she turns to Sansa. “Now let’s go, or grandma will find us again.” 

 

They go to Sansa’s apartment, because Lady needs some attention and Margaery doesn’t mind where they go as long as they’re together (literal words that made Sansa smile like crazy). After feeding and playing a bit with Lady, they get to bed. Arya’s nowhere to be found, Sansa wonders if she’s also giving Gendry the present of an orgasm, like she said. But well, since she’s got a key… 

“Happy birthday, Margs.” Sansa cuddles into her arms, smiling. 

“Happy birthday to me, alright.” She mutters, kissing Sansa’s shoulder. 

“Shit!” 

“What?” 

“I forgot to give you your present!” 

Margaery laughs and hugs her tighter. “It’s okay. There’s always tomorrow.” 

“See, now it definitely looks like I’ve just given you sex for your birthday.” 

“I’m not complaining.”

“Not helping, Margs.” 

“Okay… I’ll try a different approach, then.” 

And just like that Margaery’s hand is under her shirt and caressing her stomach, making its way up… Sansa sighs. 

So maybe they’re not ready to sleep just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I update at such weird times. 5am... oh well. I was debating whether to post this chapter or not... I hope it's not too awkward to read.


	22. Day 22

Before Margaery opens her eyes, she thinks about how she’s thirty. She’s no longer twenty nine, no. She’s thirty… how did that happen? It seems like it was yesterday when she was saying goodbye to the “teen” years and entering the twenty something age. Gods, that’s such an old-person-thought… is she one herself already? No, that can’t be. It’s strange, years ago people her age were mostly settled, probably with a few kids already… yet she doesn’t feel like she’s ready for something like that. It’s such a big commitment, and she has so much to do still! How were (are) eighteen year old kids capable of raising kids properly? She’s thirty now and she thinks that she’d fuck it up… 

She takes a deep breath. Okay, enough with the kids talk. She’s thirty, it doesn’t mean that she can only think of babies and getting married and stuff. And yes, she’s aware of how she hadn’t thought of getting married until that moment. 

She opens her eyes, finally, trying to escape from her own thoughts and the first thing that comes to her mind is “where the hell am I?” 

It takes her a few seconds to realize that she’s in Sansa’s room, which means that… yup! Sansa’s there, sleeping soundly next to her. She smiles at the sight. Hopefully, staring for a bit isn’t too creepy. This is more like the image she had in her head of waking up to Sansa, to be honest. Her auburn hair is all sprawled on the pillow and one of her hands is hanging on the side of the bed. 

She kisses her bare shoulder softly, not wanting to wake up, not yet, it’s Sunday after all, and she gets up as silently as she can. She gets some clothes on and goes outside, wondering if Sansa will have some magazine she can use to distract herself. 

When she reaches the living room, Lady jumps from the couch and greets her by wagging her tail and circling her until Margaery sits on the floor and starts stroking her fur and scratching the spots that she knows she’ll enjoy. She loves that dog, it almost makes her want to get one of her own , which wouldn’t be a crazy thought if it wasn’t for the fact that she works crazy hours. 

“You’re a cutie, you know that?” 

“How awesome would it be if she actually answered you?” 

Arya’s voice startles Margaery, almost giving her a heart attack. She’s standing besides the door of the guest room. She didn’t remember that Arya was staying over in the house, so meeting her first thing in the morning wasn’t something she could have anticipated. Good thing she put on some clothes… 

It’s becoming a thing, she realizes, that their siblings make random appearances every time they sleep over each other’s apartments. 

“Gods, you scared me.” 

“Aw, I’m sorry.” Arya smiles. “Morning, though…” 

Lady gets up and trots towards the other girl, who also starts giving her the attention she’s seeking. Margaery can’t help but feel a bit used, Lady only wanted her until someone better arrived? Not cool. 

“So Lady likes you.” Arya comments, almost like she doesn’t believe it. 

“Apparently not as much as she likes you!” Margaery says, already recovered from the shock. 

“Well, I’ve known the girl for a few years already…” Arya pats the dog’s face and gives her a hug a moment before Lady frees herself from the embrace and runs away. “Hey! Come back here!” 

The dog ignores Arya, so Arya turns her attention back to Margaery. 

“Is Sansa still sleeping?” 

“Yup. How was the bowling?” 

Arya’s face goes from neutral to indignant. “You should have told me that he’s a pro at it!” 

Margaery laughs. “I thought he would have bragged about it!” 

“It was humiliating, seriously.” 

“Someone’s exaggerating!” 

“When one’s as proud as I am… it is humiliating.” She smiles, and then Arya signals the kitchen. “Water, be right back.” 

Alone again, Margaery looks at her surroundings. She’s never been at Sansa’s place when there was still light outside, it’s different. It looks cozier than it does at night, if that’s even possible. 

Then she notices something. Something she recognizes. 

A phone. 

But not any phone. Gendry’s phone. 

“No way…” she says out loud. 

She’d recognize that nerdy case anywhere. It has to be his, definitely. 

“Did you say anything?” 

Margaery looks at Arya and shakes her head. “Nope. I was yawning.” 

“It’s early. You can always go back to bed.” 

_Someone’s eager for me to flee the scene, I see_ … Margaery wonders if Gendry’s about to do the walk of shame. 

“Sounds like a good idea, yeah.” Margaery waves at Arya. “I guess I’ll see you later.” 

“Yup…” Arya nods goodbye and goes back in her room, too. 

Margaery goes back to Sansa’s and gets in bed again. This time she’s not nearly as careful. 

“Sans…” she whispers, close to her hear before kissing her neck. “Hey, wake up.” 

She kisses her cheek too and caresses her shoulder, her neck… She wants to be as gentle as possible, which is hard because she really wants to share what she’s just seen. A part of her is wondering why she can’t just shake her, or something. But that wouldn’t be nice, no. 

Sansa mumbles something incoherent and moves away from Margaery, who laughs. 

“Seriously, Sansa. You can’t do this to me now. I need you!” 

Margaery wonders if tickling will work, but nothing happens, except more unintelligible mumbling. 

Seeing how she’s been failing, she decides to try a different approach because suddenly a different idea has popped up in her mind. Margaery gets up from bed, not caring about being careful anymore (in fact, she’s trying to be as annoying as possible). She tiptoes next to the door, she types a quick text and then, just as she’s about to send it, she puts her ear against the door. 

_Hey, Gendry! How did it go with Arya last night? ;D_

Although faint, she hears the chiming she’s so used to hear at work and she has to fight back the laughter. It feels great to be right about something. And she also loves how they’re trying to hide it, but they are no match for Margaery’s investigative skills, hells no! Gendry might be a pro at bowling, but she’s a pro at this! 

“What are you doing?” 

Sansa’s voice makes Margaery light up like she’s a Christmas tree or something.

“Finally! You have to hear this!” 

She runs and gets in bed, giving Sansa a quick peck on the lips. “You won’t believe what’s going on outside.” 

Sansa groans and closes her eyes. Apparently she’s in no mood for guessing games… and Maragery’s going to respect that. At least for the moment. 

“Gendry has stayed over!” 

Sansa’s eyes dart open again. “What?” 

“I saw Arya outside, and she was like _you should go back to sleep_ and I saw Gendry’s phone on the table and oh gods it’s so amazing! I had not expected them to do this so early… why are they doing it so early and it took us like three weeks? But anyway, can you believe it!?” 

“This is too much to process…” Sansa looks dumbfounded. 

“It’s hilarious, really. I texted him and I heard his phone outside. I can’t wait to see what he’ll reply. He’s so going to lie.”

“You think?” 

“Yup. You’ll see.” 

Although Margaery had planned to wait for his answer, Sansa has a mind of her own and it seems like she’s in the mood for kissing Margaery’s neck, caressing her skin and, well… 

“This is a good way of starting the day…” Margaery mutters. 

“It is. Except for the fact that you’re wearing too many clothes. I don’t remember them from last night, no…” 

It’s also a great way of making her forget all about Gendry’s text. But who cares about a text when she can enjoy how a still very naked Sansa is by her side, tracing patters on her skin with her fingers, as well as with her lips, while taking off her clothes yet again. No one, that’s who. 

That’s why when Margaery’s phone receives the anticipated reply there’s no one to read it. They’re using their time for something way more productive.

_She didn’t like losing. But I think we might see each other again. Maybe today, I don’t know!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're entering NaNo's last week... aahhhh! I still need to figure out how I want to finish this, lol. Ideas? ;D


	23. Day 23

“Mom, don’t be like that.” 

“It’s been a month, Sansa! A month!” 

Sansa winces. “I’m sorry…” 

“Well, I hope you are.” Her mother sounds really, really unhappy. “I told your dad that I’d wait until you called, but I couldn’t wait a minute longer.” 

Okay, she feels terrible now. She’s been communicating with her family through messages on the group chat they have, but it’s true… she hasn’t spoken to them, not really, since apparently a month ago. Wow. How did that happen? Time flies. 

“Cat, don’t let her fool you!” Jeyne yells next to Sansa. “She’s busy cause she’s got a girlfriend now!” 

She’d be surprised if she wasn’t so shocked. Did _that_ just happen!? It’s not like she wanted to hide Margaery from her parents, obviously that’s not the case, but she didn’t want her mom to find about her that way! Sansa grabs her scarfs and throws it in Jeyne’s direction, cursing internally. 

“What did Jeyne say?” 

She’s heard. Oh, she’s heard alright. 

“Mom, just… ignore her, please. She’s an idiot.” 

Jeyne laughs and waves goodbye at Sansa, who glares at her in response. She’s losing friendship points as of lately! She’ll give her extra paperwork later or something. She’ll mess up her section of the library, yup. 

There’s silence for a couple of seconds. “Is it true, though?” 

“I— There’s someone I’m…” Deep breaths, deep breaths. “Yes.” 

“And why didn’t you tell us?” 

Sansa groans internally. “I just needed time, mom. We’re just seeing where this goes and… I didn’t want to say anything in case it didn’t work out.” 

“But is it going well?” 

Sansa can’t help but smile her stupid “I like Margaery so much, and she likes me back” smile. “Yeah, things are going good.” 

“What’s the name of this mystery girlfriend of yours?” 

“Margaery. Margaery Tyrell.” 

“Tyrell. That’s a name from The Reach, I think. Your dad knows a Tyrell.” 

“He does?” 

“One moment…” She hears some shuffling. “Ned! Ned, who was that old friend of yours from The Reach?” 

She hears his dad in the distance. “Are you talking about Mace Tyrell?” 

“Yes! Thank you. See, Sansa? I told you he knew someone named Tyrell.” 

No way. There’s no way. 

“I think dad might have been friends with Margaery’s dad.” 

“Wait, I’ll put you on speaker.” 

“Mom, don’t!” 

Oh gods. Sometimes she wonders if every family’s the same as hers, if the parents act like they’re trying to embarrass their children every time, or if that happens only in hers… 

“Hello, kid.” 

“Dad, hi…” 

“Sansa’s got a girlfriend, Ned!” 

“Mom!” 

They make her feel like she’s a teenager again, like when she was telling them about her first girlfriend in high school… except that now she’s twenty eight and the feeling still remains. But she hears that’s common with parents and kids. No matter how old they are, they’ll always be like little children. 

“Oh, that’s wonderful, Sansa, I hope she’s as good to you as you deserve.” 

“She’s a Tyrell, Ned, that’s why I asked. And Sansa believes that she’s the daughter of Mace.” 

_I don’t think she is_ , she thinks, _I know she is_. After all, she met the man on Saturday. And he looks like he could be his dad’s age. Besides, how many Mace Tyrell are in the world? 

“Really?” 

A few questions later, they all agree that Margaery’s most definitely the daughter of an old friend of Ned. It’s not like they kept in touch, but Catelyn remembers the surname because every time that something about the Tyrell family comes up on the news or something, he makes a comment about how Mace and him used to be buddies back in the old college days. 

All the awkwardness from that realization aside (seriously, what were the chances?) Sansa apologizes profusely for not having called before and promises that she’ll make it up to them. 

“Of course you will.” Her mother says, and Sansa can’t really guess why, but she sounds happy. Which can’t be good. 

“Sooner than you think, too.” Her father adds. “Do you remember what’s happening next weekend?” 

For a second, Sansa’s mind goes blank. Then she remembers. It’s the end of the month. It’s her parents’ anniversary! Which means that… yup, she’s going to have to start looking for flights to Winterfell soon. 

“Oh, right!” 

“Exactly. So you better come here, and bring Margaery. You have to bring Maragery now.”

“Or else, don’t bother coming!” His father laughs at his own joke and Sansa rolls her eyes. 

“I’m so glad you are giving me the chance to do things at my own pace…” She says, sarcastically. 

“You’re welcome, sweetie.” 

 

The moment she hangs up, she goes to find Jeyne. She’s earned a serious talk, that girl. Why does she believe that it’s okay to stat telling other people’s parents that their daughter has a girlfriend? Because that’s not right, at least not in the universe they live in! She must follow some basic rules, and like… that’s basic, isn’t it? It really is. 

“I can’t believe you!” 

“Shhh, you’re in a library.” Jeyne whispers, trying not to laugh. 

“I don’t give a shit where we are!” 

Someone coughs behind her and Sansa turns around, blushing furiously as she sees a guy with a baby on his arms. That’s so not the image she wants to give to the world, and specially not the people who are visiting the library. If she could bury a hole on the ground to disappear, she would. 

“Uhm, sorry…” She turns to glare at Jeyne and then she flees the scene. She can’t face the guy again, and his alarmed face. 

 

Back at home, with a too warm cup of tea on the table and her laptop ready, she starts typing “cheap flights to winterfell” on Google. If she’s going to visit her parents that weekend, she needs to find a way of getting there soon. She’ll have to tell Margaery too. That’s the only thing why she’s glad that Jeyne did what she did, because now they’re kind of even. She had to meet all those people in Margaery’s birthday party and now Margaery will have to spend a weekend with her crazy family. If that doesn’t kill their relationship, she might as well propose when the weekend ends. 

_Doing anything this weekend?_

_I don’t think so, why?_

_Because you’re coming with me to Winterfell._

_I am?_

_Cat’s out of the bag, my parents want to meet you. You can thank Jeyne for that._

She knows that Margaery’s read the text, but she doesn’t reply and Sansa wonders if she’s been too straightforward. Maybe she should have tried a different approach? A more… subtle one? Or maybe she should have called instead of texted. Because who does that, really? Sometimes she surprises even herself. 

_Just checked my schedule. Turns out I’m super busy! :P_

_LOL! Nice try, Tyrell. Think of it as a mini vacation! Also… you owe me one after your birthday._

_Hey, that was not my fault!_

_Uh huh. You tell that to yourself, if it makes you sleep better at night ;D By the way! apparently my dad knows your dad! :o_

_Are you kidding me?_

_No! They were uni buddies! Lol._

_Wait, I’m calling you…_

 

Just as she says, Margaery’s name appears on the screen and Sansa answers. 

“Hey!” 

“Do they really know each other?” 

“Yup. They were school buddies. You’ll have to confirm it, though. Ned Stark. Or Eddard. I don’t know which one he went by back in the day.” 

“Seriously, what a coincidence. You’d think that knowing how big Westeros is…” Margaery laughs. “I’ll tell him later. If they were friends, he’s going to be super excited.” 

“I know, my dad was too.” Sansa shakes her head. She still can’t believe it. Of all the girls she could have dated. Makes you wonder. 

“Oh! Before I forget… I already have my super cool prints hanging on the wall.” 

“Really?” Sansa grins. She’s happy that Margaery liked her present, after all. 

“I’ll send you a pic. They look amazing. Thank you again, really.” 

“It was my pleasure.” 

“And now that you mention pleasure, let’s talk about our mini vacation…” 

Sansa laughs. “Let’s.” 

“When do we have to leave and when do we have to go back?” 

“As soon as possible on friday and whenever we want on Sunday.” 

Margaery hums. “It’s a good thing that parents adore me. Otherwise, I’d be nervous as hell until that moment arrives.” 

“Look who’s modest!” Lady curls up next to her, on the couch, and Sansa pats her head. “I’m looking for flights as we speak. Do you want to talk for a bit?” 

“Time to move to the couch, then!” 

She hears the new notification from Facebook before she checks the tab. She frowns when she realizes that it’s a new friend request. As soon as she sees “Em Tyr” she starts laughing. 

“So that was your name.” 

“Mhm.” 

“Do you realize I’m going to stop looking for flights and I’m going to stalk your profile, don’t you?”

“It was a possibility, yes.” She senses that Margaery is smiling and that makes her happy. 

“Let’s find your deepest secrets… Also, if I don’t find a proper flight, it’s going to be your fault.” 

“Oh dear, you’re going to be very disappointed if that’s what you’re looking for in my Facebook profile.” 

Sansa laughs. She doesn’t care about her secrets, not really, but she does care about all the pictures that Margaery has uploaded. It’s always strange to see pictures of an old version of the person that she’s come to know quite well in the past few weeks. It’s weird to realize that there’s still so much that she can learn about… 

She hasn’t realized that they’ve been quiet for a while until Margaery speaks. 

“Hey, Sansa?” 

“Yes?” 

“I may have bought our plane tickets.” 

“You did _what_?!” 

“We leave on Friday at seven thirty.” 

It’s on.


	24. Day 24

_Found my replacement :) It’s a guy and he’s definitely not going to charm Gendry away from your sister! :D_

_That’s good to know! Has he said anything to you about that night?_

_LOL, no! And honestly? I kind of want to tell him I know he was there. If he’s going to sneak in and out of someone else’s apartment… he shouldn’t leave his phone on the coffee table!_

_He deserved to be caught, you’re right! :P Anyway… meet me after work? Coffee, dinner… up to you! (If you say yes!)_

_How about both?_

_Good answer :3_

It’s so adorable to see how Sansa adopted the cute cat smiley… sometimes she just doesn’t know how to handle it. She leaves the phone on the table and goes back to work. She’s got a lot to do before she she can fully leave the office. And there’s paperwork to fill if her grandmother approves.

She can’t wait for the evening to arrive. 

 

Sansa’s leaning against the wall of the coffee shop, doing something on her phone, when she gets there. She doesn’t say anything for a bit, while she’s approaching, because she wants to enjoy the view. She just looks so… at peace with herself. She’s kind of jealous. Because Margaery’s sure of herself, but Sansa’s at peace. And there’s a difference. 

“Hey, stranger!” 

“Hi!” 

Sansa walks up to her and throws her arms around her neck, smiling. 

“I’m sorry I’m late… Work.” 

Sansa nods before she closes the little space between them and kisses her. It’s become such a natural thing between them that Margaery can’t really remember when they weren’t doing that. And she realizes that it wasn’t _that_ long ago. But now it’s just… what they do. They kiss when they meet. The awkwardness is long gone and those moments already forgotten in the bliss that it’s kissing Sansa. Warm lips against hers, with no tongue because they’re in a public place and they’ve discovered that neither of them is too fond of big public displays of affection, not really. 

Once inside, Sansa starts by telling Margaery that it’s not okay to buy flight tickets to someone, not before asking, and she’s pretending not to be happy (or that’s what Margaery hopes!). Okay, maybe Sansa wasn’t exactly thankful or happy when she told her that she had bought the plane tickets… But the fact that they’re going on a mini holiday together trumps the annoyance she might have felt back then, and now she must be feeling better about it… 

“Ground rules.” 

“Okay.” 

“From now on, you’re not allowed to buy me flight tickets, or similar.” 

“What about paying for the bus? Or a taxi. If one day you forget your wallet, I mean.” 

“I’m serious, Margaery!” 

She knows Sansa is serious, she does, but it’s just fun to tease her. Besides, Sansa’s trying to hide a tiny grin and that makes Margaery know that it’s not as bad as she wants to make it sound. And well, if she needs to make it up to her… she has a few ideas in mind that she won’t mind to use. Wink wink. But she really hopes that it won’t be a big deal, though. She honestly just wanted to help, specially after last week and everything that happened with her family. Also, she could use the frequent flyer miles. 

“What do you want? I’m buying. I might not be able to buy you a flight ticket, but I can definitely afford to buy you a coffee.” 

Margaery makes an _uuuh_ sound and laughs. “Snarky Sansa attacks.” 

Sansa’s delighted laughter is one of the best sounds that Margaery has the pleasure to hear on a more or less daily basis. Sansa gets up, kisses Margaery and freezes when she hears the voice. 

“Sansa?” 

The way Sansa reacts to the stranger’s voice makes something inside Margaery clench. 

“Dany.” 

“Oh, hey! I wasn’t sure if it was you…” 

The blonde girl smiles a smile so bright (almost as bright as her so-blonde-that-it’s-kind-of-white hair) that makes Margaery arch an eyebrow, alarms go off in her brain. What’s going on? Something tells her that it’s going to be an interesting meeting, that one. 

“How are you? What’s up in your life?” 

“I’m— I’m okay. Working in a library, so you know… what I always wanted.” She shrugs nonchalantly, like it’s nothing. 

The girl nods and looks at Margaery directly, since she got there. Then at Sansa, like she’s waiting for her to introduce them (is that what she wants?). 

Sansa looks nervously at her, then at the other girl. “Uh, this is Dany. She’s…” 

The fact that Sansa’s having trouble finding words to describe the girl in front of her makes Margaery realize that she’s probably… 

“Her ex.” Says the girl, wording what Margaery had been suspecting. 

“Ah.” _Ah? Who says “ah”?_ Gods, Margaery doesn’t know why her grandmother gave her a job when she answers things like “ah” in dire situations. 

“And you are… ?” 

“Her _current_.” She jokes, more or less. 

There’s a part of Margaery that can’t help but bask in the fact that she’s with Sansa, not the extremely gorgeous girl in front of them, no. She is. And that Dany has nothing to do here, nope. 

But then she thinks about how they probably broke up for a reason. Whether Sansa broke up with her or Dany did… they chose not to be together anymore. So why would Dany bother that she’s the one with Sansa? 

“So… how’s everything going for you?” Sansa asks, trying to break the uncomfortable silence between them. 

“Oh, you know. I have an exhibition coming up next month, so… getting everything ready. It’s great.” 

An artist? For gods’ sake. What else can the universe throw at her?

“That’s great, I’m glad to hear.” Sansa smiles. 

“It’s completely different from the stuff I did when we were together, but I think it came out nicely.” She comments, and Margaery can’t help but think “ _no one asked you_ ”. 

“Let me know when it opens, maybe I can go check it out at some point.” 

“You should totally come, I’d love to have your input, I still value it.” The smile again. 

No. She won’t be jealous. She won’t be jealous. She won’t be… damn. It’s too late. But, let’s be honest, what’s happening right in front of her is not an ideal scenario. An ex-girlfriend inviting your… whatever… to an art exhibition. Because she _values_ Sansa’s input. Come on! 

Margaery focuses back on the conversation they’re having, because otherwise she’ll start numbering the reasons why she doesn’t like this smug girl that’s in front of them and that won’t be good. It sucks. It really does. Why does she have to be jealous? And… of what? Sansa doesn’t want that girl 

When Dany (or Daenerys, as she discovers in the middle of the conversation) leaves, Margaery feels a lot better. She wished that trivial things like that wouldn’t affect her mood, and she wishes she wouldn’t be jealous (she’s never really been, though! She doesn’t understand a thing). 

The rest of their meeting or date or whatever it is that she’s doing with Sansa goes well, although there’s still the ghost of Dany’s presence among them and it makes things a bit uncomfortable. Maybe that’s why Sansa suggest that they leave way earlier that any of them had anticipated. But maybe it’s for the best. 

 

“So that wasn’t awkward or anything, no…” Margaery comments, as they enter her car. She’s going to be honest, because lying wouldn’t do any good in that situation. 

“Oh gods. I’m so sorry. She’s… well, she’s intense.”

“To say the least!” Margaery laughs, but it’s a bitter laugh. Hopefully, Sansa won’t notice the difference. “I want to ask you something, but I don’t want to sound… jealous. Because I’m not. We all have pasts and there’s nothing wrong with that.” 

She believes in her words. She knows that she can’t be jealous over a girl that Sansa used to call her girlfriend, because she also has exes. Life happens, and they had a life before they got together and of course they got together with people… 

Sansa’s staring at her expectantly. “Go ahead, shoot.” 

“Why did you two break up?” She can’t help but ask. 

Sansa smiles. “She realized she wasn’t _that_ gay after all. She had been pining after some guy.” 

“Wow, really?” 

“But it’s good. It was ages ago, back when both of us were studying. And it’s not like she was my great love or anything… it did hurt, though. I’ll give you that.” 

“How long were you two together?” 

“A few months. Six or something…” Sansa shrugs and Margaery has to bite her tongue not to ask another question. She’s feeling self conscious, and it’s not a feeling she particularly enjoys. 

“Okay. Thank you… and now, we should leave the ex-girlfriend talk for some other moment. I need—“ 

Before she can finish the sentence and turn the ignition on, Sansa’s lips are on hers, one hand’s behind her neck, pulling her closer into the kiss. Everything else’s forgotten. All that matters is how it feels when Sansa’s hand finds a way under her shirt and starts touching as much skin as she can. Margaery sighs and tries to find a more comfortable position where she won’t feel like her head is going to break every time she tries to kiss Sansa. 

“What was that for?” Margaery’s breath is labored and she smirks. “Because if there’s more where that came from… I want it. Call Dany again, let’s have another chat!” 

“You’re pushing your luck, you know that, don’t you?” 

Margaery grins, like she’s saying “maybe, maybe not.” Sansa groans and rolls her eyes, and Margaery ignores her dramatic gestures and kisses her again. This time, she’s the one doing the exploring with her hands.


	25. Day 25

Noting like reading the newspaper to put things into perspective. Now, the thought of meeting her girlfriend’s ex-girlfriend doesn’t sound that bad. 

**Olenna Tyrell takes good care of her family**

_The woman campaigning to become the next Mayor of King’s Landing brings her granddaughter, Margaery Tyrell, closer to her, hoping to give her a job in the Parks and Recreation department, according to sources close to the newspaper. The 29 year old politician wannabe —_

“This is such a bullshit!” Margaery throws the newspaper away. They didn’t even get her age right. 

“Deep breaths, M.” Gendry looks at her apologetically. 

“Fuck the deep breaths!” She’s so angry. She’s so angry she could— “I want to punch things!” 

“That’s not very political of you.” 

She huffs. “Well it’s not very objective of them either, so who cares?” 

Gendry looks at her apologetically. She know that he feels bad, that’s why he tried to hide the newspaper until she found a tweet about it. He forgot that it’s her job to know these things… at least for a week more. 

There it is, what she had feared that would happen… finally happened. She predicts a busy morning, while she’s looking for the campaign manager’s phone number. She needs to talk to him. And to her grandmother. Gods, it’s for things like this that she wishes she had chosen someone else that wasn’t family. She deserves her new job, she does! Why does she have to prove them anything, and all the time?!

 

_Jeyne just told me about the article thing. How are you feeling? :(_

_Eh. It’s okay. I’m okay… More or less._

_Really?_

_… I’m angry._

_Tell you what… let’s go get pancakes after work. There’s nothing that can’t be fixed over pancakes! :)_

Margaery smiles despite how crapy she’s feeling. Was feeling, because just with one text from Sansa, she’s feeling better already, if only for the prospect of meeting her in the evening. 

_You got yourself a deal!_

_I’ll pick you up!_

 

In the end, she’s the one who goes to pick Sansa from work. Or she tries to, because she’s not around when she gets there. Neither is Jeyne, for that matter. She has to go and ask someone else. The man she chose, because he looked nice, eyes her suspiciously. Margaery ends up telling him the few details that Sansa gave her when she said she’d be late. 

“She’s upstairs.” The man says. “Does she know you’re coming?” 

“Yes, she’s expecting me.” 

“Then… I guess you could go upstairs. We’re refurbishing a room, that’s where she is.” 

Margaery nods and thanks him profusely. Then she rushes to find Sansa. The room the man mentioned looks like one that hasn’t been open in years. There are shelves, folders and a lot of dust. What is that room doing there? Has it always been in the same place? Because Margaery doesn’t remember seeing it in previous visits. 

“Sansa?” She asks, looking around without finding her. 

“Over here!” 

She walks towards the voice, after a few meters and a turn to the right, she sees Sansa kneeling before a shelf with a stack of papers by her side. She’s got her hair up in a messy bun and she’s reading something, but she leaves it on the floor as soon as she sees her. 

“Hey, gorgeous.” She gets up to greet Margaery, and the moment she reaches her they kiss. 

What Margaery thought that it’d be a greeting kiss turns out to be more than that. She pushes her softly against one of the many shelves and keeps kissing her intently.

“Hello to you too…” She says under her breath. 

She’d be lying if she said that she’s never had fantasies about hooking up with someone in a library… because she’s had them, oh she has alright! The fact that it’s Sansa’s work place kind of rubs her the wrong way, but only in the beginning because as soon as she has Sansa’s mouth trailing wet kisses down her cleavage she can no longer think about what’s appropriate and what isn’t (if someone found them like that… that’d make one hell of a story for the newspapers!). 

“Libraries are such a turn on…” She mutters, closing her eyes and abandoning herself to the feeling of Sansa’s lips on her skin. 

The girl doesn’t reply, but she gives her a playful bite. And Margaery doesn’t say it, but that bite is one too. Although with Sansa, most things are, perhaps it’s the honeymoon phase they’re going through, but her body is cooperating _so_ well with any and all the attention that it’s getting from Sansa… ! 

Her thoughts are interrupted because Sansa starts undoing her pants. Margaery groans, quite pleased with the turn of events. Then Sansa’s fingers start caressing her underwear, too softly at first, painfully so, while she kisses her fierily. It’s too much, too many stimulus. She doesn’t know how to handle them, she can’t control them either. It’s just too much. 

Sansa pulls away for a second and stares into her eyes. “Are you sure you want this, here?” 

It’s funny how that’s the longest sentence they’ve spoken since she’s arrived. 

“ _Yes_.” She says, and it sounds almost like a hiss. 

Biting her lip, Sansa smiles and then moves her hand out of her pants. Margaery’s about to complain, but then Sansa’s fingers get under her underwear and the only thing that comes out of her mouth is a half moan. And like she’s trying to silence any other sound that might come out of her, Sansa kisses her again. Slowly. Matching the pace of her fingers, so slow that Margaery doesn’t know whether to ask for more or just let Sansa do whatever she pleases because gods, it’s working. 

Maybe it’s the fact that she’s in a library and it’s really exciting, or maybe it’s the fact that Sansa has her pinned against a shelf while her fingers work her magic. Maybe it’s everything put together, but Sansa’s soon having trouble muffling Margaery’s moans with her kisses… and then, way too soon, it’s over. 

She hugs Sansa, hoping that her legs won’t give way, trying to get her breathing under control and laughing silently. 

“That was… wow.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Oh, yes.” She kisses Sansa on the cheek and then buries her face into her neck. 

“I had missed you.” Sansa whispers, caressing her sides. “We should go, by the way, before they come to find us.”

“What about you?” 

“There’s always later…” She says, timidly. 

Margaery starts buttoning her shirt and her pants, thinking how cute it is that she chooses to be shy over that sentence, and not about what she has just done. 

She’s getting her shirt tucked into her pants when Sansa starts giggling. She arches an eyebrow. 

“What?”

“Your hair. You’ve got sex hair.” 

She snorts. “I’ll wear it proudly, then.” 

Margaery winks at Sansa, who kind of blushes, and she starts fixing her hair despite of what she just said. No matter how proud she is of the sex they have together, she’s not going out of a library looking like that. It’s enough that her shirt is all wrinkled and stuff, she won’t fuel the fire. 

“Pancakes now? Thanks to someone, I’m quite hungry.”

Sansa grins. “Sounds perfect, and I know exactly the place.” 

Before they reach the stairs, Margaery turns and kisses Sansa yet again, because she doesn’t think she can tell her, not with words, how much she means to her; or how she makes her days better just by being there and talking to her. She’s not sure if Sansa realizes that she’s already that important to her, but she hopes that at least with that kiss she’ll be able to make her feel at least a tiny little part of it. That’d be enough, for now that’s all she wants. 

 

Sansa was right. Pancakes, maple syrup and whipped cream could probably fix the world. That, plus sex. In the past couple of hours, Margaery’s day has improved a lot, and she thinks about this fact while eating the amazing food. 

“I think it’s okay that they wrote an article about it, you know? They should be aware of these things, in case they are right…” She says, suddenly. Sansa doesn’t ask for clarification because she knows what she means. “It’s just the way they said wrote about it, calling me a politician wannabe, failing to get my age right… which is super stupid, but it makes me angry. It’s everything, you know? I just hope that I won’t be the reason why my grandmother loses the election, that’s all.”

“I understand.” Sansa nods. “And look, if you’re going to be busy with this… we can cancel the trip to Winterfell, it’s no problem. There are some things that are more important than meeting my family.”

“Are you kidding me? There’s no way we’re doing that.” Margaery takes Sansa’s hand and gives it a tiny squeeze. “Besides, I’ve already started packing,..”

“Well, if you’ve already started packing…!” 

Sansa rolls her eyes and, with no warning, she smudges some whipped cream on Margaery’s nose and cheeks. The girl shrieks, taken by surprise, and Sansa starts laughing nonstop. That is, until Margaery does the same thing with her maple syrup. 

Grown ups can have fun too, can’t they?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The only reason why I can't wait for December is because finally I'll be able to sleep more than six hours! lol. Otherwise, I'm having a lot of fun with this :)


	26. Day 26

Sansa’s not on cloud nine, she must be in cloud thirteen or something like that because she feels _that_ good. If she were to place a bet on the reason why she was feeling like that, besides the obvious answer being “Margaery Tyrell”, she’d say that the fact that she’s going back to Winterfell for a couple of days fills her with a never ending supply of joy. Besides, Winterfell includes Margaery. It’s two for the price of one. 

In her opinion, the only downside of having found her dream job is that it’s almost in the other side of the country, and although she’s happy that at least Arya’s close by… it’s not the same. She really misses the family gatherings. 

One day and a half and then she’ll be there, hugging her parents and her siblings. She can’t wait to see them all together! Okay… it’s going to be a really long one day and half. Hopefully, she’ll get some distractions. 

 

Jeyne brings her coffee to the desk in one of those moments where there’s no one around, not really… thursdays are really slow days, and Sansa usually hates it, except when she’s working with Jeyne. In that case, it’s amazing. It’s like being paid for talking to a friend… which is exactly what she’s doing. 

“How’s everything going?” 

“You know, same old, same old…” Sansa answers, grinning. It’s one of those days where she feels like sharing, and gods, she has _a lot_ she wants to tell her. 

“How did Margaery take the news yesterday?” 

“She was kind of hurt.” She shrugs. “But in the end I managed to get her to focus on more, you know… _pleasurable_ things.” 

“Oh my.” Jeyne laughs. “Tell me more.” 

“So… it happened here.” She whispers. “For reals.” 

“When you say here… do you mean library-here?” 

Time to boast a little bit. “Yup. In the old archives.” 

“Gods, Sansa!” Jayne starts laughing. “Was it after work, at least?” 

“Ah, that’s the best part… I was working overtime and she came here to get me and… well, I just couldn’t help myself.” 

“No way!” Jeyne claps her hands excitedly. “That’s hot.” 

“Believe me, it really was.”

“I need to know, though… what happened to my old friend? You know, the shy girl who blushed the moment someone mentioned the word sex. I can’t believe she’s hooking up with her girl in her workplace.” 

“I think she’s learning…” Sansa grins. “It’s like… I feel so comfortable with her, I can just… do these things. I don’t know. It’s embarrassing sometimes, but it’s mostly exhilarating.” 

Jeyne smiles and Sansa knows that, despite how everything started, googling Margaery, creating all those doubts … now she’s really rooting for them. 

“And you’re leaving tomorrow.” 

“We are.” She bites her cheek. “It’s so cool! I’m hoping we can have a Star Wars marathon so Margs will feel more at ease with them. Although my family’s nice and charming.” 

Jeyne nods. “You are, it’s disgusting.” 

“Hey!” She gives Jayne a playful smack on her thigh. “By the way. Can you take care of Lady?” 

“Oh boy.” 

“You don’t have to take her home… just go and make sure she’s okay once a day?” 

“I was joking, you idiot. I’ll take her home with me. Hopefully she’ll behave…” 

“Don’t be a jerk, come on. She’s the sweetest girl!” 

“Who knows? Maybe she’s like one of those spoiled little brats who misbehave when their parents aren’t around.” 

Sansa rolls her eyes and ignores the comment. A visitor arrives, so she ends up gesturing towards him and Jeyne leaves to go see if he needs help. She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively at Sansa, which means that she probably finds him cute. _Danger, danger._

 

The morning passes by quickly (if only it was like that every day at work) and soon Sansa’s home, making a list of things she has to take to the trip to Winterfell, because she can’t go on a trip if she doesn’t have a list. That’s just who she is. She’ll need a warmer coat, that’s a given, because although she doesn’t feel the so called coldness from King’s Landing, she knows she’ll freeze back home. Poor Margaery… she’s going to have the worst time ever when they’re out of the house. And when they’re inside, well, she can think of plenty of ways to make her warm. Oh yes. But back to her list (before she gets super distracted with her own thoughts) she writes down things such as… _charger, books, lucky socks, toothbrush_. She just hopes that she won’t forget anything vital.

 

“I think you’re crazy.” Arya says when she calls in the middle of the afternoon. “You’ve been dating her for a few weeks and you’re taking her home for the weekend? Crazy, I say.” 

Arya has a point and she knows it. Yet, she’s somewhat excited about the trip and she doesn’t think it’s such a terrible idea. After all, her family’s a big part of her life (although the recent events have made her mom think differently. Her family’s not going anywhere, so the sooner they know if they’re compatible or not, the better. 

“It’s going to be fine. It’ll be okay… Margaery’s a politician. She’s not going to be so… outspoken about topics that mom and dad disliked, like Dany did.” 

“Wow, that was one awkward meeting.” Arya says, remembering the time when Sansa introduced Dany to her parents. Awkward was an understatement. “Anyway, dad’s going to scare Margaery, so make sure you warn her.”

“Aw! He’s harmless.” 

“Mostly.” 

“Like the Earth?” 

They both laugh at the reference. “Forty two. But seriously, Sansa… warn her.” 

“Oh my gods, Arya. You’re making it sound like our family’s dangerous or something! Are we involved with the mafia and I just found out about it?” 

“Just tell her what to expect, Sansa.” Arya says, ignoring her comments. 

She’s overreacting, she knows that. Besides… Isn’t Sansa the one supposed to be nervous? Instead, her sister is. That must be the weirdest thing ever. But that can only mean one thing… Arya cares about what happens with Margaery. Maybe because it involves Gendry, in a way? Oh, she can’t wait to ask her all the questions when they’re trapped in Winterfell. Nowhere to escape but the cold snow. Arya will have to confess about what’s happening between the two of them, definitely. She’ll make her. 

 

_My sister thinks I’m crazy for bringing you home for the weekend…_

_I guess that makes us both crazy, because I booked our flights after all!_

_Yeah, but because I had told you that you had to come with me!_

_It’s not like you threatened me or anything, Sans… :P_

_Oh, did I forget to do that?! Damn it— I mean, you’re right! Lol_

 

Sansa feeds part of her dinner to Lady and looks at her dog with sad eyes. She’s not used to traveling, so she hasn’t gotten used to leaving Lady for a few days… Maybe Jeyne will be right, because she feels like one of those moms who are too dependent on their children. 

“I’m going to miss you, girl.” She says, as she feeds her another piece of ham. “But aunt J. will take good care of you, you’ll see!” 

That puppy face, she can’t handle it. She pats her head absentmindedly, wondering how it’d be if dogs could talk. Or, you know, animals in general. That’d be so nice. She’s been through so much while Lady was by her side that being able to get replies from her would be just perfect. But oh well, maybe in a few centuries? Or a few years, who knows where science is taking them! 

“Okay, let’s go pack my bags, Lady!” She grins as she gestures to the dog to follow her. And Lady does go after her a few seconds later. 

 

She’s in bed checking her email on her phone when her phone rings. It’s the second time in that day that it takes her less than a second to answer because she had the phone in her hands. 

“My bags are ready.” 

“Hello to you too, Margs.” She laughs.

“Oh, please.” 

“Back to the trip! Did you bring warm clothes?” 

“Yup, lots of them.” 

“It’s going to be super cold. There’ll be snow, you realize that, don’t you?” 

“Seven hells, Sansa.” She hears Margaery laugh. “I know how to google about the weather and I know how to dress for it, too. I’m not completely useless.” 

She blushes a bit. She didn’t want to make Margaery feel like she was saying she’s stupid. “Well, I’d hope so! Otherwise… it’s totally not what I signed for!” 

“You forgot to read the fine print.” 

“Oh, you sneaky person, you! I bet you blinded me with your awesomeness so I wouldn’t realize that you can’t do anything about… everything.” 

“Not _anything_! I knew how to dazzle you.” 

Touché. “Okay, I’ll give you that. You’re pretty good at it.” 

“See? Not everything’s lost!” 

Sansa curls up in bed, wishing that instead of holding her phone, she’d be holding Margaery. But you can’t always get what you want, according to some random dudes that made music. Next day, though, next day she won’t be missing the touching, no. 

“We’re leaving tomorrow…” 

“We are!” So Margaery sounds very excited. If it’s all an act… then the joke’s on her, because she’ll be the one missing out. “Our first trip together. That’s pretty awesome.” 

It is. It’s the most awesome thing ever. Now she understands why Margaery wanted her in her party with her family, or well… she doesn’t know for sure that Margaery was thinking that when she invited her over, like she does… But she’s going to pretend that she was. It’s just nice, to think of how all these people that you like are together in the same place, having fun, enjoying each other’s company… and she’ll be in the middle of it all, she won’t have to choose because everything that she wants will be _there_. 

“Winterfell, baby!” She starts giggling like a five year old. “Gods, I’m so excited.” 

Maybe she’ll regret saying those words. Maybe she won’t. The good thing is that she will only have to wait for a day before she knows for sure. 

If she survives the night. Too much enthusiasm.


	27. Day 27

The plane’s mostly full, which makes Sansa wonder briefly what all these people are going to do in Winterfell. How many of them will go to enjoy the snow? Maybe skiing? How many of them, like herself, are traveling to meet their families? Their loved ones? Then she turns to Margaery, who’s sitting with her eyes fixated on the seat in front of her. She’s taking short breaths and tapping her fingers on her leg. 

Sansa runs a hand through her hair, which makes Margaery turn to her. “Are you nervous?” 

Margaery replies quickly. “No.” 

“You sure? Because you look a little bit… anxious.” 

“I’m okay.” 

“Are you scared of flying?” 

“I’m _okay_.” 

“Fine, fine… Then I won’t say anything about your shaky hands.” 

Margaery clenches her jaw. “You better not…” 

Giggling, Sansa turns to look at the view from the window seat. She hears Margaery’s deep breaths next to her. Of all the things she could have expected from flying on a plane with Margaery… discovering that she’s scared of them wasn’t one of them, not even close. 

“I’m here if you need me.” 

 

After the take off (worst part, according to Margaery, because it means you still have the whole flight left) and after trying to relax with her eyes closed for a few minutes, (in which Sansa stares at her longer that she’d admit) they’re able to have a conversation. 

“See, it’s not that bad.” 

“Uh huh.” 

“My brother’s picking us up from the airport, by the way.” She says, hoping to distract her from the plane. “Although we’ll have to wait half an hour for Arya.” 

“Sounds good.”

“That way I can get to know him before I’m thrown at the wolves.” 

“I thought parents loved you!” 

“They do. But I’m not that sure about siblings.” 

Sansa laughs. It’s cute that she’s worried about her brothers (she already got Arya’s seal of approval). The same way that she thinks it’s adorable that, of all things, Margaery’s scared of flying. 

 

During the flight they encounter some turbulences, which means that Margaery’s the first in line to get off the plane. She hears her curse under her breath, and Sansa tries not to laugh at that (and for once, she succeeds!). 

She sees Robb’s sign before she even see’s him. He drew a big direwolf with “STARK” in big letters. Of course he’d do such a thing, he’s a lovable nerd! 

Robb gives Sansa a big bear hug when he reaches them. “Lil’ sis, I’ve missed you.” 

He smells like home, and she’s already filled with joy. 

“Oh gods, same! Now, let’s introduce you two.” 

She turns to Margaery, who was standing a couple of steps behind them. She looks like one of those well behaved kids who are waiting for their parents’ orders to do something. It warms Sansa’s heart. 

“Hey.” Robb’s the one who closes the space between them and shakes her hand. “I’m Robb.” 

“Margaery.”

“We’ve heard a lot about you.” He says, smiling. “From Arya, though.” 

Sansa huffs and Margaery smiles. “Reversed dejà vu. My family told her the same thing.” 

“So, we have half an hour until Arya’s plane gets here. What do you say to a coffee?” 

Sansa was worried that it’d be kind of awkward, but it turns out that Robb’s quite into politics and he starts talking to Margaery about her family and Olenna’s plans for King’s Landing. She stares at them, too astonished to participate in the conversation (astonished and not really in the loop… maybe she should read more news and less literature). What surprises her the most is Robb’s passion, who knew that he was such a politics nerd? 

Arya’s plane arrives on schedule, which gives Sansa some relief from all that talk about taxes, unemployment, propositions… 

 

Margaery reaches for her hand while they’re in the car, and Sansa looks at her questioningly. Is she nervous? She doesn’t look nervous, yet… she knows she has the ability to look calm and collected in dire situations. She’d be nervous too, but she wouldn’t be shy about saying it out loud. Basically, because it’s so obvious in her that there’s no point in denying it. 

“Bran and Rickon will get here tomorrow.” Robb comments. “So tonight it’s just us, plus mom and dad.” 

“Where’s your girl?” Arya asks him. “Dad told me they invited her too.” 

“Oh, they did. But, no offense Margaery, she didn’t feel like coming. “Too many Starks, too little space” she said.” 

Margaery laughs, visibly amused. “Everyone keeps saying that to me, which makes me happy I’m doing it.”

Sansa smiles at the exchange, it’s nice to be in her brother’s car with them all. She rests her head on Margaery’s shoulder and enjoys the rest of the trip, hearing Robb and Arya bicker, share stories and from time to time, ask Margaery things (luckily, Robb doesn’t mention politics again). 

“You okay?” She whispers in Margaery’s ear. 

Margaery nods and kisses her forehead. It’s such a small thing, but Sansa feels relieved. 

Then she sees it. First, it’s the shed, the tiny construction that indicates that they’ve arrived to the Stark’s property. Then she points at the big house a few hundred meters away down the road. Its light grey bricks mix well with the thick layer of snow that’s covering everything in sight. Margaery won’t get to experience the green surroundings, but at least she’ll experience the snow. They need to make a snowman, asap. 

“We’re here.” She tells Margaery, grinning from ear to ear. 

Robb honks, and after a few seconds in which they start getting ready to get out of the car, the door opens and their parents come out. Arya leaves her jacket behind and runs to meet them, getting the exclusive of the first hug. 

Sansa has to fight the urge to run towards her parents and give them the hugest hug ever, she fights it because she’s with Margaery and she shouldn’t leave her alone in a time like this. _If she had done that when I met her mom, I would have ran in the oposite direction, never to be found again._

“Sansa?” Margaery’s voice is soft, almost like a whisper. “I might be a little bit nervous.” 

“Aw, Margs!” She gives her a quick kiss. “It’s going to be okay. They’re going to love you.” 

“Okay…” 

She doesn’t really sound like she’s okay, though. Sansa smiles and kisses her again, she just can’t resist it. 

“Okay. Are you ready?” 

Margaery takes a deep breath and nods. “Let’s do this.” 

 

In case of doubt, talk about Star Wars. That should be printed in the entrance of the house because it’s one of the truest statements that you could make about the Stark family. The good thing about going home that weekend is that they are greeted by two very excited parents who can’t wait to share the first trailer for the new Star Wars movie. So after the introductions (which are as awkward as expected, but really nice nonetheless) they go to the living room to watch it all together. It’s a good bonding experience for Margaery, at least from Sansa’s point of view. A good ice breaker, too. 

Soon it’s time for dinner and while her family sets the table, Sansa takes Margaery on a quick tour around the house. She also meets Robb’s husky, Grey Wind.

“Lady’s his sister.” Sansa explains, while petting the big dog. “I’m not sure they’d recognize each other now, but… they used to be really close.” 

Margaery’s a bit intimidated by his size and only pets his head lightly, but Sansa assures her that he’s as good as Lady, just considerably larger. That doesn’t comfort Margaery, not even a bit, so she laughs and tells her that they can try next day. 

 

Her parents have cooked one of the family favorite dishes, honeyed chicken, and it looks like the recipe has a new fan. 

“I had never tried it like this.” Margaery says, making a delighted noise. “It tastes amazing. You’re really great cooks.”

“Thank you! There’s more, if you want.” Her father’s always so eager to feed people more food. Sansa smiles. “How’s your dad, by the way? I haven’t talked to him in ages.” 

Between Star Wars and the fact that Margaery’s father was a friend of him… the dinner’s been progressing quite nicely. 

“He’s alright. Taking care of the vineyards and the gardens.” Margaery answers, smiling. “Nothing too exciting.” 

“Mace was always proud of his accomplishments in the field.” 

“He still is. And he still goes on and on about the good ol’ days in uni…” Margaery says, rolling her eyes. 

“As he should!” Her dad raises his glass and drinks to that. 

He also makes a delighted sound when he tries the wine, and Sansa looks at Margaery, smiling, and Margaery winks an eye at her in return. She must feel pleased because after all, it’s the wine she’s brought from the family vineyards. 

“He does too.” Her mother whispers, loud enough for everyone to hear. 

“All. The. Time.” Robb adds. 

“In a few years, kids, you too will start recalling uni stories, you’ll see.” Her dad defends himself. 

“And we’ll torture our own offspring with them.” Arya says, grinning.

In the end, Margaery doesn’t talk much during dinner, just when prompted, but she looks comfortable enough and it seems like she enjoys listening to the stories they are all sharing. Maybe it gets a bit boring for her, Sansa would understand if that was the case… but she hopes that Margaery understands as well that it’s been a while since they were in the same room and they need to catch up. 

 

“Have you shown her the guest room?” Her dad asks, while they are cleaning the kitchen. 

“I’ve showed her the whole house.” Sansa frowns. “What’s so special about the guest room?” 

“Because that’s where she’ll be sleeping.” 

She can’t help but let out a small laugh. He’s kidding, right? He must, because that’s really crazy. And so not part of the plan. 

“ _What?_ ” 

“Look, we did the same thing with your brother and his girlfriends, so we’re not going to change the rules just because you’re a girl dating another girl.” He explains, like it’s the most logical thing. “No discrimination.” 

Sansa looks towards the living room, where Margaery’s talking to her mom and Arya, blissfully oblivious to this travesty happening a few meters from them. 

“Dad! Robb was, what? Seventeen or eighteen when he brought a girlfriend over? Come on!” 

“Age doesn’t change a thing.” 

Okay, that’s so not true. “It changes _everything_ , though!” 

“Our house, our rules.” 

“Is mom on board too? Or is this something you’re saying just to torture me?” 

“Go on, ask her.” He gestures towards the living room. 

Sansa glares at him, defiant. He stares back. 

“Fine. Mom!” She calls her while she’s still looking at his dad, and he just smiles smugly. “Mom, is he serious?” 

She strides to the other room and confronts her. Three sets of eyes stare at her, wondering why angry tone. 

“Serious about what?” 

“The— the guest room!” 

“What about it?” Arya asks. 

Sansa looks at Margaery, who’s just sitting there, looking confused. She has two choices, to drag her mom out of the room to interrogate her further or to confess and tell them all, but then Margaery will realize what a freak she has for a dad, because really… _who tells his twenty eight year old daughter to sleep separated from her girlfriend!?_

“Do you really think she’s going to sleep in the guest room? That’s beyond rude! And also, crazy. We’re grown ups, for gods’ sake! Not teenagers!” 

She doesn’t want to look at Margaery, not after she’s said those words. It’s too embarrassing, and she’s already flushing as it is. Her mom looks at her in disbelief for a couple of seconds and then she starts laughing. Sansa shrugs, looking at Margaery and Arya, because she doesn’t understand a thing. That is, until Arya laughs too and gestures to her right. There’s her dad. Laughing along with his mother. _Come on_. 

“I can’t believe you.” Sansa tells him. “You’re the worst, dad! That was evil!” 

“Oh, love… it was priceless.” He says, drying the tears from his eyes and hugging Sansa. “Cat, you should have seen her face when I told her. I was expecting her to bite my head off!” 

Sansa wriggles out of the embrace and glares at him. “Your sense of humor is terrible. Get a new one.” 

Then she notices that Margaery’s covering her mouth trying not to laugh and she rolls her eyes at her. At least she finds it amusing. 

 

Margaery plops down on her bed and lets out a loud sigh. She looks gorgeous, Sansa thinks, with her hair all sprawled on the pillow, her eyes closed and a smile on her face. And on top of _her_ bed, too, that’s a big plus. No guest room involved. 

She doesn’t know who’s more exhausted of the two of them. Yes, Margaery’s had to face the people who are saying that she’s only working with Olenna because of her family ties, and then fly to Winterfell to meet her family; but Sansa’s had to deal with some emotionally draining things too, thanks to her dad. And she also had to work. Still, Margaery’s been through more… so she’ll let her have that one. 

Or maybe she’s wrong, because the supposed exhaustion doesn’t stop Margaery from getting up and taking Sansa’s hands before leading her next to the bed. She kisses Sansa languidly before she pushes her down on the bed, gently. 

“How many girls have you bedded here?” She whispers while she positions herself on top of Sansa, kissing her again the briefest of moments. She’s such a tease sometimes…

“ _Bedded_?” Sansa sighs when she feels Margaery’s teeth on her neck. She tries to sound normal, but she’s already under the influence of what Margaery does to her “Who says bedded, really?” 

“Clearly, I do.” Margaery kisses her collarbone, while her hand reaches for her stomach. “Would you rather I asked how many girls you’ve fucked here?” 

“That’s crass.” Sansa cringes and Margaery shrugs as if she’s saying then don’t complain about my wording. “Also, none.” 

The wicked grin on Margaery’s face leave no trace of doubt of what she has in mind. And hey, if she wants to have the honor, or whatever, of being the first girl that Sansa _beds_ in her old room… then so be it. She’s not going to complain. In fact, she’s all for it. 

In different circumstances, maybe Sansa would have told Margaery how she’d be the first one because when Dany visited, they got into so many fights that they were never in the mood for doing anything, not even make up sex… Probably the reason why they ended up breaking up. She could have said all those things but she doesn’t, because Margaery’s already kissing her stomach while her fingers work on undoing the button of her jeans… and that’s too much for thinking rationally. 

And then there’s a knock on the door. 

Arya’s voice follows. “Hey, we’re going to watch a movie. Mom and dad say that if you want to have a say in which one, you should come down now.” 

Margaery sighs, looking defeated. Sansa rans her hands through her hair and smiles apologetically. 

“Choose whatever.” Sansa says finally, cursing in her mind. “We’ll go downstairs after we change into more comfortable clothes.”

She hears Arya snicker. “Okay then. But don’t take too long or mom will come to find you.”

Sansa rolls her eyes at the comment and wonders if it was too obvious that they were going to have sex. It wasn’t, right? They said they were going to unpack their things… that’s not suspicious. Or is it? She doesn’t care, she’s too sexually frustrated at the moment. Margaery rests her head on Sansa’s stomach and closes her eyes. 

“So.” 

“So…” 

“Families, huh?” 

“Yeah. Families…”

It’s going to be a long weekend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late update because I'm visiting my mom and her internet refuses to cooperate. 
> 
> Anyway, that makes two updates for today! I hope it won't be too much.


	28. Day 28

“It’s been ages since I’ve been to Winterfell…” Margaery comments while looking outside the balcony. “I didn’t remember it being this… cold.” 

“Maybe you weren’t here when it was almost December.” Sansa hugs her and runs her hands up and down Margaery’s back, trying to warm her up a bit. 

She’s feeling so content in that moment… it’s amazing how the simplest things, like staring at the landscape in Sansa’s arms, can now bring her so much happiness. 

“It’s really pretty, though.” Margaery adds, absentmindedly. 

“ _You’re_ really pretty.” Sansa whispers. 

Margaery smiles and kisses her cheek. 

“Are you ready?” 

Margaery groans. “Not really.” 

“Come on, it’s going to be fun!” 

Sansa’s excitement would have been contagious any other times… but not in that moment, no. There’s no way it’ll be fun. It’s absolutely impossible. Sansa won’t tell her whose idea it was to go hiking in _that_ weather and she knows that she can’t ask, but she can hate it in her mind. Okay, hate is a strong word… maybe dislike. The thought of going outside is just crazy. It’s like saying “let’s go walk in the desert in august.” Nonsense. 

But they they go downstairs, eventually, and she sees that they’re all there in the hall, including Bran and Rickon, who she met during breakfast. They’re all getting ready to go out. Boots, thick coats, scarves, hats… then it hits her. 

“Shit! I forgot to bring gloves.” Margaery looks at Sansa, panicking. She can’t go out without gloves. Her hands will freeze and they’ll have to amputate them and her career will be over because politicians need their hands, right? They have to sign stuff! Oh gods. 

“Don’t worry, we have plenty of those.” Says Rickon, the savior. “I’ll get you a pair.”

He winks at Margaery and flees. 

“See? It’s all good. Unless it was a maneuver to get away from the hiking.” Sansa arches an eyebrow and Margaery lets out a small laugh, no, sadly she wasn’t that clever. “Look, you’re going to be okay, you’ll be warm because we’ll be walking and you won’t freeze to death. Promise.” 

Sansa pats Margaery’s coat with her hands, adjusting the collar and grinning all the time. She’s so happy that Margaery feels kind of bad for not feeling the same thing. She’s just not used to this kind of weather and she’d rather watch from inside. Windows have a purpose, really. 

“Let’s go, kids!” Ned’s voice fills the hall, catching everyone’s attention. Then he approaches her, and Margaery has to smile awkwardly. “So, they tell me that you’re not a fan of the weather?” 

Margaery looks at Sansa, who pretends that it wasn’t her by dramatically looking around. 

“I’m not used to this… it’s daunting.” She feels like she should say _sir_ or something, gods. 

“Cat, you could give her tips on how to survive the freezing weather.” 

Catelyn smiles and caresses Ned’s neck when she walks by. “The famous saying _there’s no bad weather, just bad clothing_ is something that you should always keep in mind here. Other than that… just try not to get lost.” 

She knows she’s joking, in a way, so she forces herself to laugh softly, but gods… who says something like that?! Who?! 

Thankfully for her, Rickon comes back with a visibly worn pair of gloves and hands them to her. “Should fit, I think.” 

“Hey, those were mine!” Sansa says, recognizing the garment. “They’re super warm.” 

Robb goes to get Grey Wind and everyone else starts getting out of the house. _If you can see your own breath go back inside, for gods’ sake!_ That should be one of Margaery’s rules. She’s going to start living by it the moment she goes back from the hike. Although maybe it’ll be too late and she’ll have frozen to death. It’s a possibility. 

 

Some things can’t be told or explained, and sometimes they can’t be expected either. Like how Margaery didn’t imagine that she’d enjoy the crunching sound of the snow beneath her boots as much as she does. Nor how the landscape is so beautiful and quiet that it’s like the world’s stopped moving and it’s just sitting still, taking all the beauty in because, really… how can such a thing exist? 

No one could have explained, either, how it feels when a snowball hits her on the back, making a loud “thud”. She gasps and almost trips, but Sansa’s arms help her regain balance and she starts laughing along.

“Look how subtle he is.” Sansa says, looking in Ned’s direction, smirking. 

Oh, it was him. He’s pointing at the trees in the distance while purposefully avoiding looking in their direction. 

“Let’s go get him.” Sansa whispers, her eyes glowing with the prospect of mischief. 

Margaery just raises her eyebrows. “I’m not going to throw a snowball at your father.” 

“Suit yourself!” 

Sansa crouches and makes one in no time, then she throws it at her dad, but misses (or did she?) and hits Arya instead. 

“Oops…” 

Suddenly, it’s war. There are yells, laughs, running around, barking (from Grey Wind, she hopes) and snowballs. Lots of snowballs. Margaery can tell that they’re quite skilled, unlike her who’s as awkward as one gets. At least Sansa is staying by her side… and they make a good team. She can make the snowballs and Sansa throws them. 

“Let’s go over there.” She whispers, like they’re going to hear them with all the yelling. “Cover!” 

Sansa’s laughing when she jumps behind the snow mound she was pointing to, Margaery stumbling to follow. She falls on her knees, right next to Sansa and with the adrenaline rush she’s feeling, she kisses her. It’s like there’s no tomorrow, because as far as Margaery knows… maybe there won’t be! Who knows how serious snowball wars can get? There’s so much clothing between them, Margaery curses under her breath. She’d give a foot (politicians could leave without one foot) to be able to touch Sansa’s skin. She must say, though, that the feeling of Sansa’s mouth, so warm in contrast with their surroundings, is a marvelous feeling. But it’s over soon. 

They see the shadow before they see him. 

“Gotcha!” Rickon winks an eye at them, and then he throws two well-aimed balls that hit both of them right on the top of their heads. 

Sansa yells and Margaery is too surprised to do anything, at least until she comes back from the shock. It is then when she realizes that she needs to strike back, to hell with being careful around Sansa’s family. War is war! She grabs as much snow as she can in one hand and presses it until she’s got a nice round ball, then she repeats the process a couple of times more. Rickon’s gone by the time she’s ready… but she’ll find him. And she’ll get him. 

Oh, she will. 

 

When they start going back to the house she has already started to feel numb all over. It wasn’t such a good idea to crawl on the snow to get back at Rickon. It was probably very dumb, and very stupid. On the plus side, she got him alright. Also, she’s going back to the house with Sansa. Just the two of them. Not the Stark bunch, no… the two of them alone. So maybe her own sacrifice was worth it. 

“I’m fucking freezing.” She says, through her clenched teeth. 

“That’s what you get for being so competitive.” 

“I was kissing you when he hit us!” Margaery complains, frowning. “I needed to get revenge for that poor interrupted kiss.” 

Sansa snorts. “Oh, you…” 

She takes Margaery’s hand in hers, and it’s a weird feeling because the gloves are so think that she can barely feel a thing… but just knowing that they’re holding (freezing) hands is enough. 

 

In Margaery’s opinion, they can’t get to the house fast enough, and when she’s finally there she rushes to the bathroom. She turns the water on and then she quickly discards the wet clothes on the floor. She’ll clean that later. Gods, she’s freezing. She’s probably going to be sick and it’ll be awful because she’s so whiny! Sansa’s going to hate it. 

The negative thoughts are gone the moment she feels the steaming water against her skin. Amazing. Kind of painful, too, but in the end it just feels so good. She even moans out loud. It’s _that_ good. 

Then she hears noises coming from the door, and Sansa’s voice “I can’t believe you locked the door!” 

Margaery turns off the water so she can hear better. “What was I supposed to do? Leave it open?” 

“… Yes!” 

Margaery gets out of the shower and wraps a towel around her. “Well, I couldn’t risk your family coming back earlier than —” 

She opens the door and Sansa throws herself at her arms, kissing her the same way Margaery did back in the snowball war. 

“Shush. There’s no time.” 

Had it been another person, in any other circumstance, she would have complained about being “shushed”. But again, she finds herself making exceptions because it’s Sansa, and not only that… it’s Sansa getting naked in front of her and taking her back to the shower. She can shush her as much as she wants, really. 

 

“And they’re saying all these things about the new lightsaber in the trailer, so much hate! But it’s like… dude, you’re watching a sci-fi movie! None of it is possible in the first place, so why are you being picky now? Enjoy the awesomeness!” 

Margaery nods, agreeing with Bran. Then Arya starts talking about how she sees both sides of the argument and Margaery, trying to be subtle about it takes her phone and starts typing a quick message that she sends before she focuses back on the lightsaber talk. 

_It feels weird not texting you at least once a day so… hello to my girl from Winterfell!_

She looks at Sansa from the corner of her eye, she’s talking to her mother when she hears the notification sound. Sansa grabs the phone from her pocket while she keeps talking at the same time she checks what’s going on. Margaery grins when she sees how, slowly, Sansa stops speaking until she’s just… beaming. There’s no other word to describe her face in that moment. Catelyn asks Sansa what’s goings on (or so interprets Margaery) and Sansa shakes her head, smiling shyly. 

Then she looks in her direction and even from the distance, she can see her eyes gleaming. She gestures something to her mom and then she’s typing on her phone. 

_Gods you’re such a nerd! (My nerd, though! <3) _

Her nerd. She can be that. She feels like she can be anything, really, because it’s Sansa she’s thinking about. And it feels like the world’s full of possibilities now that she’s found her. Margaery rolls her eyes at her own thoughts. She’s so corny… someone stop her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just letting you know that a few hours ago I managed to get to the 50.000 words mark! I'm a Nanowrimo winner again! yay :D 
> 
> Anyway... that aside. I have a question, because I have some things in mind that I would write that don't fit what I'm doing now, meaning that it's been a "real" month and I'm thinking about things in the future... Should I leave this fic open to add those other chapters or should I write a "sequel" with the add-ons? 
> 
> Happy weekend, by the way! :)


	29. Day 29

Sansa’s been noticing it since they arrived on Friday… There’s something really adorable in the way that Margaery’s acting in the time they’ve been to Winterfell. She’s so out of her comfort zone that a part of the confidence and coolness that she sports so well, back in King’s Landing, is gone… okay, maybe it’s only gone when someone mentions going outside in that weather, but it’s cute nonetheless. And Sansa’s going to enjoy it for as long as she can. 

She’s trying to focus on that, and not on the fact that they’re leaving after lunch, something she’s not really looking forward to. She loves being home, she does. Hanging out with her siblings is one of Sansa’s favorite things. It’s so very entertaining because it doesn’t matter what topic they’re discussing, they always end up laughing, having pretended arguments and being silly. And her parents? Well, she can complain about how annoying they can be (specially with her dad’s idea of a joke) but she couldn’t be happier when she’s reunited with them. 

“Hey, do you know if drinking Coke counts towards my daily water intake?” Bran looks at the bottle in his hands, frowning. 

“It doesn’t.” Rickon replies, simply. 

Sansa scoffs. “Of course it does! It’s mostly water, isn’t it?” 

“But it has caffeine!” 

“So?” Arya asks, curiously. 

“So caffeine is bad, it counts negatively.” 

Arya snorts. “Yeah, sure.” 

Rickon glares at her. “It’s a fact, google it.” 

“I will!” Arya grabs her phone and starts typing. 

“What’s up with the question, anyway?” Sansa can’t resist asking. It was such a weird thing to mention, and so out of the blue. 

“I’m trying to be healthy. Hydration, you guys. It’s important.” 

The answer is met with a few laughs from them and Bran scowls, mildly offended. Just when he’s about to say something (probably mean), Robb and Margaery come back from wherever they were. Sansa’s pretty sure they were discussing something political. As long as they’re bonding, she thinks. Margaery winks an eye at her and Sansa grins, signaling to the seat next to her with the head. Robb looks at the scene arching his eyebrows, sensing that something was happening before they arrived. 

“What’s going on here?” He says pointing at them. 

Arya laughs. “Bran’s trying to be healthy by drinking lots of water.” 

“And these guys are all ignorants.” He adds. 

Sansa awws, she feels kind of bad for him, because it’s not his fault that they’re just looking for any excuse to have a few laughs. Too bad it had to be him! 

“Hey, did you know that there are apps for that?” Margaery says, looking at Bran. “They help tracking the daily intake.” 

Arya laughs. “Come on, not you too!” 

“What? I don’t use it, but I see how some people might find it useful!” Margaery shrugs as she makes her way towards the couch where Sansa is sitting. 

“See?” Bran smiles, happy that someone’s on his side. “It _is_ important.” 

Sansa shakes her head before she rests it in Margaery’s shoulder. Then she whispers loudly, so everyone else hears too. “You shouldn’t encourage him…” 

Bran lets out a loud groan. “You’re so enervating!” 

“But you love us!” Robb, who’s so big and muscly, makes his way towards him and pulls him into a tight bear hug, a hug that Bran tried to escape from… unsuccessfully. After a few more tries, he gives up and relaxes in his brother’s arms. “Come on, Bran, you’re clearly in need of some love. Group hug!” 

And that’s all they need. 

 

After that, they have to start saying goodbye. Arya’s the first one. 

“Hey, you and I need to talk soon.” She tells her in a low voice. “You’re lucky I forgot to ask you about Gendry.” 

“What about him?” 

“Don’t play dumb. I know he was at my place.” 

There are very few moments in which Sansa’s able to surprise Arya, but that’s one of them. Waiting to reveal it in that moment was oh so worth it! Her sister looks kind of flustered and she can even see a faint blush on her cheeks. 

“Your face is priceless. Now go say goodbye to them.” 

Arya leaves in a hurry, clearly needing time to collect her thoughts. Margaery approaches Sansa, curiosity painted on her face. 

“What have you done to her?” 

“I told her I knew about Gendry being home that night.” She says, grinning. 

“Wow, great timing.” Margaery laughs softly. “You’re good, I’ll give you that.” 

 

Using the last half an hour she has left, she goes downstairs to see her parents while Margaery finishes packing. 

“We’ll be leaving soon.” Sansa announces. 

“Do you have a moment? Come, sit here for a bit.” Her mom pats the seat next to her. 

“Am I in trouble?” She says, joking. 

“Oh yes.” 

“I’m not believing anything that comes out of your mouth.” She tells her dad, pretending to glare at him. “Unless mom’s the one saying it.” 

“Come on, it was a good joke.” 

“If you say so.” She sits next to her mom and hugs her. “I’ve missed you!”

“We missed you too, Sansa. Although, I have to say… it’s nice to see you this happy.” Says her mom, squeezing her hand. “Margaery’s very nice.”

“And that was a surprise considering who you brought here last time.” 

She blushes. “Dany wasn’t that bad, actually… we were just having a rough time and—” 

“Oh, we know.” Her mom clicks her tongue while shaking the head. “Ned, stop torturing your daughter…” 

He laughs, and when he laughs Sansa’s transported to her childhood, when it was such a common sound that she didn’t realize how lucky she actually was until later in life, after she encountered people with not so happy memories. 

“Okay, family… I need to go finish packing. I just wanted to say that I miss you.” 

She kisses her mom’s cheek and pats her dad’s shoulder when she walks past him, then heads upstairs again. To Margaery, she thinks happily. 

 

“Such a shame that we haven’t been able to put this bed to good use…” Margaery says when she sees Sansa, while closing her suitcase. 

Sansa bites the inside of her cheek. “There will be a next time, I hope…” 

Almost like she feels her insecurities, Margaery looks at her, all playfulness gone from her expression, and walks up to her. She smiles softly and runs her thumb across Sansa’s cheek. 

“Of course there will be.” She says it with so much conviction that Sansa believes her. Why shouldn’t she, after all? 

 

And then, they’re gone. Sansa can’t think about how sad it makes her that she won’t get to see them until Christmas (although that’s really close!) because she’s trying to comfort a very nervous Margaery. At least that’s good!

“Deep breaths, Margs.” She says when they get on the plane. “Remember last time? It was totally okay.” 

“It’s windy today.” She says, worried. “Last time, it wasn’t.” 

“Only a bit, the plane won’t even notice it.” 

“But I will…” she mumbles, letting Sansa get to her window seat. 

Adorable. Sansa takes her hand in hers, preventing Margaery from nervously tapping on the armrest, and she gets ready to spend the next hour and a half trying to find random conversation topics to keep her entertained. 

 

The taxi ride from the airport to her place is kind of bittersweet. She wonders if she should be glad that she’s getting her independence back, if she’s supposed to be happy that they can take a break from being together… Honestly, Sansa doesn’t know what she has to to feel or to do, the only thing that she knows for a fact is what she actually feels. And in that moment she feels like she doesn’t want to say goodbye. But she can’t ask Margaery to stay at her place, right? That’d be too much, and maybe Margaery’s happy to go home and… gods. Too many possibilities and too much anxiety. 

“I’m… I’m going to miss you.” She whispers. Maybe she won’t be able to tell her what she really feels, or wants, but she can say that. 

“It’s been a wonderful weekend, despite everyone’s warnings.” Margaery grins. “I’m glad you invited me.” 

“And I’m glad you came.” 

“I’ll see you soon?” 

A sudden melancholic feeling invades Sansa, and she has to look out the window to try to relax. “Yes… soon.” 

“Hey, you okay?” 

“It’s just saying goodbye to everyone before.” Sansa sighs. “And now to you too… it sucks.” 

“Well, you have two choices. You can go home, cuddle Lady and watch films that make you cry while eating ice cream… or you can invite me over to do all the above with company.” 

“Really. You’d do that?” She asks, incredulously. 

“Duh.” 

In Sansa’s opinion, a _duh_ had never sounded better than in does that moment. Never.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhh! almost done. This is such a weird feeling.


	30. Day 30

When she checks for the time, with the eyes half closed, she notices that she still has about an hour until she has to leave to her place to get ready for work. She debates whether she should go back to sleep or if she should get an early start and in the end she decides that she’s going to do neither of them. 

“Sansa…” She whispers, her voice hoarse from the sleep. 

She nuzzles Sansa’s neck and the girl moves in her arms, mumbling things in her sleep. Margaery smiles and kisses her cheek. 

“Sansa, hey. Wake up.” 

Sansa tosses for a bit, and in the end she opens her eyes, facing Margaery. She’s frowning, but her expression softens when she sees her. 

“Hi…” She says. Or so interprets Margaery. Sansa’s the cutest when she wakes up. 

“Hey.” 

“I didn’t hear the alarm…” 

“It didn’t go off yet.” Margaery admits, it’s so early in the morning that she doesn’t feel too self conscious about revealing her true motives. “I just wanted to be with you for a bit, before the day officially starts…” 

“Aww…” Sansa cuddles against her chest, and she’s almost purring. “I like your ideas… almost as much as I like you.” 

They stay like that for a few minutes, hearing each other’s breathing, listening to their heartbeats… feeling each other’s skin against their own. Margaery can’t think of a better way to start the day. She traces random patters on Sansa’s back, just because she wants to feel the softness of her skin. 

“Margs?” Sansa asks. 

_Ah, she’s not sleeping, after all._

“Yes?” 

“It’s been one month since we started talking.” 

“A month? Really?” Margaery hums. A month. Wow. 

“Maybe a month and a day? I’m not good with dates, I’m sorry. And I feel like… already? But at the same time, it’s too little for how… for how much I like this. Us.” 

“Us. Sounds great, doesn’t it?” 

Sansa nods. “There are so many things that I want to do with you…” 

“Like what?” 

“Let’s see… I want to go on a double date with Loras and Renly.” She says, laughing softly. “And I want to go to a party with you, but a real one… with my friends or your friends… whatever. Not important. I want to get to experience the tipsy version of Magaery in real life, because the texting was great, minus for that awkward detail.”

Margaery grins, they can do that. They can go on double dates with her brother and his boyfriend.

“And Gendry and Arya.” Margaery adds, suddenly remembering the other two. “Although I’m not sure they’re a couple or anything…” 

“Arya’s too quiet about it, she likes him. Otherwise she would have boasted already.” 

“We’ll see what happens. In the meantime, we should enjoy the show.” 

Margaery yawns and closes her eyes. All of a sudden, she feels Sansa’s lips on the corner of her lips. And just as suddenly, they’re gone. Then she opens her eyes and realizes that she has just time traveled ten minutes into the future. That, or she fell asleep again. She wants to believe that the first one was more likely to happen, she’s always wanted to have a superpower. Time traveling would be great, no doubt about it. 

“I don’t want to work…” She grumbles. 

“Don’t be silly, you love your job.” Sansa tells her, amused. 

She hopes she’s not pouting, but if she is, it’ll prove a point. “I love being here more than I love my job.” 

Sansa looks contemplative for a few seconds, like she’s wondering what to say next. Then she speaks, finally. 

“Why did you talk to me, a month ago?” 

“You were different from everyone else. And I felt some sort of pull… I don’t know how to explain it, really.” Maybe she could have explained in other circumstances, for example, after she got her morning coffee. “I just knew that I had to talk to you. And then you replied and I knew, I knew for sure.” 

“What did you know?” Sansa’s blue eyes stare at her with intensity. 

“That I had felt the right thing.” 

The answer pleases Sansa, who smiles lazily. “Good call.” 

“Well, I’m awesome.” 

“And very modest, too.” 

Feeling each other’s laughs is quite different from just hearing them. She realizes about it when her head moves at the same time as Sansa’s chest. She can feel the vibrations of the other girl’s body, and she just can’t get enough of her. Margaery can’t wait to discover all these small things, things like how her laugh feels. Or how she discovered last night that she didn’t mind that Margaery put her cold feet on her legs to warm them up. That’s something so insignificant, but at the same time… it’s so amazing! And vital. Maybe that’s the thing that makes their relationship work out in the end, what makes them so special that they have no choice but to stay together, because they’re just… good. Maybe not perfect for the world, but undoubtedly perfect for each other. And who knows, maybe in the future someone asks Margery, “how did you know that Sansa was the one?” maybe she can reply with a “she didn’t mind my cold feet in bed”.

“I can’t believe it’s december already.” Sansa says softly, dragging Margaery back to the real world and out of her imagination. 

“I know… It’s crazy. Although I must say, now that we’re in King’s Landing again… I kind of miss the snow. It doesn’t feel like real winter.”

“Oh, I know the feeling. When you’ve lived most of your life in Winterfell, this kind of weather’s like… wow, are you kidding me?” Sansa laughs.“ Ah! And don’t worry, if you miss my place that much… I’m sure you can come visit during Christmas or something.” 

Margaery grins, because that’s how plans are made. “I might.” 

“You should…” 

Margaery sighs and pulls the duvet closer to their bodies. “Are you doing anything for New Year’s? 

“It depends on whether you ask me or not.” 

“What do you think I just did?” 

Sansa laughs and Margaery rolls her eyes. It’s almost time for her to leave. It’s almost time and she doesn’t want to go. She doesn’t want to say goodbye. If only she didn’t have to… 

“You have to leave.” There’s sadness in Sansa’s voice, and Margaery knows that it pains her as much as it does her. 

“I do.” 

“I wish we could stay.” 

“Don’t be silly.” Margaery says, remembering the previous exchange and smirking. “You love your job.” 

Sansa laughs and then she does her part. “I love being with you more than I love my job.” 

She kisses Sansa before she has to go back to face the day, because for a few more seconds she’s still in that bed, she’s still holding Sansa feeling like they’re the only two people in the world (such a cliché! not even her feelings are original, for gods’ sake). As they lips touch and their fingers entwine together, as she moans into Sansa’s mouth, Margaery realizes that the kiss feels different. Good different. The kiss tastes like a promise, no… not a promise, it tastes like future. Like the beginning of a story, an epic one if Margaery may say so herself. It’s a kiss full of possibilities, because they’re just starting something. Something good. Something great. They have so much ahead of them, and she knows that things won’t always be as good, they won’t always live in the honeymoon phase… but as long as she remembers this day, this morning… as long as she remembers that this is how they are, this is what they can be… Then it’ll be okay. They can go through anything, she’s sure of it. She can (and will) fight for things that are worth fighting for, for things that matter. And Sansa’s clearly one of them. 

“We should celebrate later.” 

“Celebrate what?”

Right. She’s not in her brain. She doesn’t know that she’s thinking about the awesomeness that they are together. She doesn’t know that she’s thinking about their future and how she can’t wait to experience it all. 

“Everything, nothing.” Margaery’s drunk on happiness. “You. Me. Us. December. That we’ve been talking for a month. Anything… _Everything_.” 

Sansa laughs, probably because Margaery’s being too enthusiastic and it’s not normal at that time in the morning, no. But finally she talks. “Okay, crazy person. Text me the details later.” 

She will. She will send that text, just like she did a month ago, when everything started with a simple compliment about Sansa’s name. Looking back now she realizes how that first text might have been one of the most important things that Margaery’s done in her life… so she’s not going to stop doing it now. And she’ll get lemon cakes, because one can never go wrong with lemon cakes, not when Sansa Stark is involved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end. The last day of my one-month project. It's been a pleasure to share this with you all, although at times I've felt like crying because it was too much, too quickly. I'm going to finish this story here, but they'll be back! Honestly? I have a hard time thinking that tomorrow I won't be posting anything (I think... although you never know! lol) because I'm so used to them already... 
> 
> I still have a lot of ideas, I want to explore this story a bit more, but I'm going to do it in a sequel because this was my project for NaNo, and I feel like it should end as I had planned. Thirty days, thirty chapters :) I thought it was crazy, I still do (I couldn't explain my roommates why I was awake at 2:30am when we had to be teaching the next day at 9am..) but it's been a wonderful thing, all in all. 
> 
> For those of you who have been with me during this journey... thank you! As I said, it's been a pleasure, and I feel lucky to have shared it with so many of you <3


End file.
